Normally when I get home from work I rush home and immediately get on the bike, but on Mondays I get to take things a little slower. Yesterday I cleaned the house, went to sushi, caught up on some retouching and lazed around until it was time to go to bed. My favorite part is cuddling up in my cozy Happy Socks (PS, I have a discount code for you below!) with a Wafel and Honey Zinger tea. This is where I usually plan out the rest of my week or catch up on my addiction of YouTube videos. As uneventful as rest days can be, it's a much needed day of the week for me personally. I know some people can go nonstop with working out all week, but I love having Mondays off to catch up on other life stuff. Do you guys have rest days? What do you usually do on them?
P.S. My addiction to socks is getting more intense every month and for the first time ever I have a discount code for you! If you want some Happy Socks for you, or to gift as a present this month, I have a 15% off code AND free shipping when you use the code HAPPYMAE at checkout! Valid until 12/31/15.
Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has been following along on my blog this month! I'm super excited to announce that I've teamed up with a few amazing brands to have giveaways the week leading up to Christmas! I've never ever done a giveaway before and I can't wait to share with you guys the stuff that I love!!
Brands that will be apart of the giveaway:
Specialized (2 winners)
Oakley (3 winners)
Pur Cosmetics (1 winner)
Revision Skincare (10 winners)
RipVan Wafels (several winners, but not sure exactly how many yet)
Details will come soon, but stay tuned on how to win starting on Monday!
Tips For Staying On Track
Working out is a big part of my life. After nearly two years of back and forth with working out consecutively and then falling off the wagon, I discovered that I'm the kind of person who needs structure. Previously, I tried following a plan in a book for cycling, I joined 30 days of yoga, and even shared an excel sheet with a friend for accountability. Although all of those things were fun, I'd eventually stray away and find myself doing nothing and feeling bad about it. In January of this year I asked for a Garmin for my birthday and hired a coach. I was approaching another season of road that I wanted to compete in, since the year prior my training was pretty much non-existent, and I chickened out. Rewind to now, and I'm approaching a year of working out fairly consistently and although I'm supposed to train 6 days a week, I still have bad days (or even a few weeks) where I don't feel like doing it. I know that I love it and regret it when I don't work out, so here are some tips that help me stay motivated:
- Don't let your day affect your workout. I'm extremely guilty of this and if my day was upsetting, I tend to go home and do nothing. I've found that I should at least do yoga if I'm going to skip my planned workout.
- If you do skip a day, just don't turn it into a habit. It happens, but remember tomorrow is a new day to get back on track. Don't give up just because of a missed day or missed week!
- Find someone to help keep you accountable. Having a coach helps me because it didn't work when I had a friend or boyfriend as my accountability person, but this doesn't mean a friend won't work for you! Also, posting to my Instagram helps me!
- Keep trying. If one method doesn't work for you, try something else. My best friend LOVES things like 21 Day Fix - so find what works for you!
- Remember how far you've come and remember how much of a boss you are! Every little bit of effort is worth it, don't forget to be proud of what you've done!
- Set a goal. Personally, I need something to work towards with some kind of accomplishment factor involved - which is partly why I race. If you aren't into competing against other people, maybe try tracking your own PR's and attempt to meet or exceed the accomplishments from the month prior.
- Make it fun. I find myself going to as many group rides as I can during the summer because I have much more fun riding with other people. I also love photographing my rides and adding a social factor into it with apps like Strava.
Do you have any tips for staying on track? Let me know, I'd love to hear them!
Remember to Trust the Process
At one point in my life, before I was cycling competitively, I would go to yoga a few times a week - in fact, there was a point where I was going everyday. For whatever reason, I haven't been in months. I've barely been stretching and I've done at home yoga fewer times than I'd like to admit. I'm so tight, I've lost a lot of flexibility, and I can see how it has negatively affected my cycling.
So this week I took some time to myself and I got on the mat. I've remembered what I've been missing and now I have documentation of where I'm currently at. Maybe I can't stretch as far, hold poses or bend like I used to, but today is a new day to turn that around.
If you too have been neglecting a positive habit, remember that it's never too late to bring it back. Be good to your body, it's the only one you have.
Oh, and don't be afraid to fail (or in my case - fall), figuring it out is the best part of the journey. Remember to trust the process. <3
Have a good weekend!
xoxo,
Mae
Weekend Playlist
Happy Friday! Seeing how it's the start to the weekend I thought I'd share some of my music with you! Below I've provided two playlists to suit two different moods. The first one, "Time to Unwind," is for a sleepy morning when you're taking your time to get up, or having a night in to yourself. (I highly suggest a scented candle too accompany you during this time). The second one, "Road Trip," is a little more upbeat and is the perfect driving music. I'll be using this play list during our travels to races this weekend. Enjoy!
Also, I hope this works in your web browsers. It's my first time trying out a playlist embedded into a blog. If you know of any other ideas to make this work better in the future, please let me know! :)