Gym Fright

This morning I laid in bed thinking about the gym membership I just signed up for. I thought about all the talk I made with becoming healthy for my knee and why I needed to get healthy. Then, I thought about riding and my love for it. SQUIRRL. I grab my phone and completely shift mindsets and see what everyone is saying on Facebook and posting on Instagram. What is incredibly funny about this entire situation is that it is only 7:30am, and I don't have anything to do until class at noon. I spend a good 45 minutes scrolling down Facebook and Instagram, then I shift to Pintrest and try to find cute outfit ideas for Vegas in May. Then it hits me, I NEED TO GO TO THE GYM TO LOOK GOOD IN THESE OUTFITS. I get out of bed, I've already been sipping on coffee, but it needs to be heated up and I get in the shower. Once I'm out of the shower, I put on my new gym capris and throw my hair in a clip. I've put on a little makeup and got my "gym bag" together (basically, its all the crap I don't want in my purse). I eat an egg and a piece of toast, then pick up my room and it's only 9:20. "WTF" I think, I must have been procrastinating because I don't know if I truly had any intentions to go to the gym. Now, that I've seen the time, I realize there is no way around this, I must go to the gym. I prepare my smoothie (recipe below) and put it in a lunch pale to keep cool for after the gym, and believe it or not, I actually go to the gym.

The gym is next to my old work, so I take the easiest, quickest way I know to get there and I get out of the truck and go inside. I scan my key chip, exchange a few words with the girl at the front desk about my hideous picture they made me take and go straight to the stair master (exchanging a few words helped me feel a bit better, but I'm scared to my bones). I don't know why I went to the stair master, I was so nervous and that is where my feet took me. I hop on, spend a good 3 minutes trying to figure out how to turn it on (mortified at this point) and begin climbing up the stairs. All of a sudden, I feel good. I don't care about what anyone thinks anymore, I don't even care about what I think. All I care about is climbing the stairs and strengthening my knee, thighs, and ass. I have some good ol' country playing through my headphones (that don't fit my ears) and I climb 1,300 stairs in 30 minutes. As soon as that timer said 30, I jumped off and ran to the truck.

You better believe me, when I say, I seriously have gym fright.

What I learned made all the difference in the world. It took the help of a friend, who I adore, to text me and say, "It's better to go alone! It's only weird when you first walk in. Then you realize, everyone is alone!" I'm not going to say, my mind has been forever changed, or I don't have Gym Fright anymore, because honestly, I still do. But, I'm proud of myself for going, and I'm proud of myself for climbing 1,300 freakin' stairs.

I don't know anything about when to have a smoothie pre or post workout, I just have a smoothie. Here is my recipe. Today I switched it up with pineapple because I was out of bananas. Both are natural sweeteners and both are delicious.

(*what I use)

1/2 c Almond Milk, original, unsweetened (*Silk)
1/2 c Greek Yogurt (*Chobani)
10-12 Spinach leaves
1/3 c Berries (*blue berries and raspberries)
1/3 c Pineapple or Whole Banana
1/2 tsp of Agave Nectar
1 c Ice
1 T Chia Seeds (optional, don't blend, add to cup)

Everything is fresh, but I froze my berries and pineapple, so I don't need to use ice. If you don't use frozen fruit, then use ice.

Agave Nectar is an amazing sweetener, you can also use honey, truvia, or stevia.

Blend everything in order. Make sure you blend the milk, yogurt, and spinach together first. Then add everything else and blend. Don't blend your Chia Seeds. They stick to the blender and get wasted. I mix mine in with my straw.


Let me know how your smoothie turns out.

Love, Heather

I can't wait to get back on my bike!