With all of the eating and drinking I do, it's really important to work out in order to stay fit. But I don't. Ever. I hate running and doing things that are hard and working out is hard. I would much rather exercise in ways that don't feel like an actual strenuous work out. Like walking to the grocery store on the weekend or going up the L platform stairs twice a day. 

But my California vacation is just two weeks away so I figured it was probably time to start working out. Better late than never - That phrase still applies here, right?

A couple months ago, a few friends and I signed up for a yoga class hosted by Yoga Six that was being held on the 94th floor of the John Hancock tower. It starts at 7:30am. Ugh. It's yoga. Ugh. I'm going to sweat a lot. Ew. But there are mimosas when you finish the class. Ah, there it is; The only reason I signed up for this class. Well, the location is pretty cool too.

We arrived bright and early to the John Hancock and checked in for the class, the rode the elevator up to the 94th floor. We were greeted by the stunning views of the city and Lake Michigan.



Even though it was cloudy and freezing out, it was still a beautiful sight.


During the class, it was so peaceful and calming to look out the giant windows and see endless blue water.


I was a cheerleader for several years and used to be very flexible, but not so much anymore, so it was a little challenging for me. But once we were done, it felt really good. Then it was time to reward ourselves with mimosas!


We just hung out for a little while longer and just admired the city views.





The yoga was challenging for me, but I knew I had to prepare myself for the next day's SoulCycle class...

* * *

A couple weeks ago, Mary texted Kristen and I saying she really wanted to do a Soul Cycle class. My first thought was "Yikes, that shit's intense," but then Kristen said she was in, so I agreed to it too. We signed up for a Sunday morning class at the Loop location.

I was actually really nervous about this. I didn't know much about SoulCycle classes but I knew they were nonstop pedaling on a stationary bike.


We got to the studio, signed a waiver and were given a free pair of cycling shoes since it was our first time. They were hard to walk in, but definitely useful once we got into the class room. They clip into the pedals of the bike so that you wouldn't fall off when you're pedaling quickly.
 

Let me tell you, this was one of the most physically difficult things I have ever done. I liked it but hated it at the same time. The room was really dark which was nice so people couldn't judge me as much and the music was really loud and fun.

Our instructor was pretty intense but very motivating. You basically just pedal along with the beat of the song and then stand up then sit down, stand up then sit down, do push ups on the bike handles while pedaling, and move side to side.

At first I thought it was fun and I could do this, but less than halfway through, my legs were on fire and I physically could not hold myself up anymore. I had to sit down a lot but kept pushing myself to not give up. There were a lot of people in the class that were able to stand and pedal almost the entire time, which made me feel kind of bad about myself. But then I thought, these people probably do this all the time or at least work out all the time, unlike myself.

Once we got to the stretching session I thought, THANK GOD this is over! I think I might do it again months from now once I forget how hard it actually was.


To reward our accomplishment, we walked over to Bottled Blonde for lunch. We ordered some wine because we deserved it.



Next we ordered our usual: French fries, pizza and Cesar salad.

The fries were coated in truffle oil, Parmesan cheese and parsley. I could have eaten the entire plate on my own.