Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Mixing it Up

Hi there! :)

Happy Tuesday!

Of course I have to say it - one week from today I will be sitting @ Northwestern, taking the first day of the bar exam (it's a 2-day exam, roughly 6 hours each day).

Eeeeeek!

I woke up this morning after a not-so-stellar night's sleep, but, somehow, I was up and ready to go.

After taking 2 days off from working out (rest day Sunday, and I just didn't get to it yesterday), I was ready to work up a good sweat at the gym.

I knew I wanted to do something intense on the treadmill, but I wasn't feeling particularly "fast," this morning, so I went for that insane interval incline set from back in the day.

If you haven't given this interval workout a try yet, you should really consider it.

It can be very tough, but it is really different and will throw you're body through a bit of a loop, which I think can be good sometimes! :) Variety is the spice of life.

This workout was actually perfect for today, because I had a new playlist ready to go, with some slower power ballads mixed in with some higher-paced tunes.

Here's how my latest playlist breaks down (and you can go HERE directly to purchase all or part of the list on iTunes).

1) Lighters (feat. Bruno Mars), Bad Meets Evil
2) The Mack (feat. Snoop Dogg & Iyaz), Mann
3) 2 In the Morning (Radio Edit), Girlicious
4) Best Thing I Never Had, Beyonce
5) Push It, Jessie and the Toy
6) Skyscraper, Demi Lovato*
7) Paper Gangsta, Lady GaGa
8) Pray (Acoustic Version), Justin Bieber (cool down/strech song).

*I kind of hated this new Demi Lovato song when I first heard it.  For some reason it sounded like she was kind of over-stretching her voice to me, and it was a little painful.


After I heard the song a few times, I changed my mind. 


I realized I actually kind of love it.  


I don't know much about Demi Lovato (which is probably good, since I'm not actually 12 years old), but I did hear the story behind this song, and it is very emotional.


I think this song will really strike a chord with anyone whose experienced a period of their life when they felt like things were spiraling out of their control in some way.


I had my own little taste of this "type" of feeling, in my own way, at one point in my life.  I am obviously so thankful to be in such a better, happier, and healthier place in my life today.  


This song kind of got me when I was climbing up that hill on the treadmill, thinking about how far I have come and how close I am right now to accomplishing the biggest goal I have had in my life thus far.


Maybe I'm just emotional right now because of the stress (probably), but the song almost brought tears to my eyes at the gym, so you know it's gotta be good.

I'm sure you're all gonna at least go listen to it now, right? :)

Anyway, on a lighter note, the workout felt amazing!

I added a couple of minutes to the walking parts, and ended up here:


Not too shabby, eh?

I was definitely ready for a shower, some breakfast:


(Combo I've been having almost daily over the past few weeks - Oat Fit + 1/2 tbsp Chia Seeds + 1 tbsp(ish) peanut butter + 1 cup almond milk + strawwwbs + tiny handful of granola on top, for the crunch!) 


And some caffeine...


And yes, the floor does make a great bookshelf.

And yes, I am still in my fluffy, pink bathrobe.

And yes, I do plan to stay exactly like this until at least noon! :)

**Something to talk about: Are there any songs that really just "get" to you?

Enjoy your days, everyone!

xoxo

Jess

11 comments:

  1. So jealous of how comfy you look :)

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  2. Look at you all comfy in your cute pink robe!! I didn't get my butt up this morning for a workout so I'm going to have to fit one in tonight! I might go for an interval run because I haven't done one in FOREVER!

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  3. Song that gets to me: Who Says by Selena Gomez. It's such a great self image song :D

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  4. I've totally been in my comfy clothes all day studying in the nice air conditioning! Fun stuff :)

    And I love that song! I don't know much about Demi Lovato either (except she's with Justin Bieber - haha gossip mags are a guilty pleasure) - but I've downloaded a few of her songs lately! :)

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  5. I just found your blog! Looking forward to reading it more often now! :)

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  6. @Ashley

    Nothing better than the fluffy, pink bathrobe! :)

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  7. @Lisa@HealthyDiaries

    Interval runs on the tredmill are my favorite lately! As long as I have a set planned ahead of time, it's an easy way to get in a good sweat and the time passes so quickly! :)

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  8. @Anonymous

    I could not agree more! I love Who Says! :) She's had a lot of great songs lately too - like Bang, Bang, Bang & Love You Like a Love Song.

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  9. @Stefanie

    I'm excited to see what else she has coming out! :)

    And I also love the gossip mags...I plan to get a bunch for the airplane and the beach! I'm thinking mindless reading is going to be the way to go on this trip.

    Wishing you lots of luck with your studying this week study buddy! :)

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  10. @amelia @ princessandthefrosting

    Yay! Thanks for stopping by! Love the name of yours, and now I'm craving frosting... :)

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  11. Jess, I did the same interval workout this morning!! I was feeling the same way - wanting something intense, but not so much speedy. I was sweating like a beast afterward!! Good luck on the BAR exam...so close to done!

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