#9. Take A Spinning Class

January 14, 2014 - COMPLETED!!!

 

Oh.my.god.  I took my first cycling class tonight and made it - it was crazy hard!  Thank GOD I had my little sister, Liz with me.  I went to the gym after work and met up with Scott to do a few arm exercises.  When Liz got there, we stretched and went over to the cycle room, just before it filled up with people.  I think there were two or three empty bikes.  Our teacher, Kelly, introduced herself and showed us how to adjust the resistance and what the different positions were.  She said the class can be at our own pace (which is kinnnnd of a lie).  

 

We started our “warm-up” - I use the term loosely as I was basically out of breath by the time we finished it.  Then, we did our first climb, upping our resistance every 30 seconds or so.  This is when I found out the whole “go at your own pace” thing was a little bit of a white lie.  Every 30 seconds, Kelly would yell “Up your resistance by 2!  This is not an option!!!” or “Okay, hover!  Stand!  Back to hover!”  It was re-dic-uh-lus.  

 

After the climb we had a brief rest, then sprints - 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off.  Another rest, climb, set of sprints, and rest.  At this point I am sweating my ass off (I am not a bigger sweater to begin with) and Liz is dripping sweat on the bike next to me.  Then came partner work.  First we did a little relay, each person sprinting 0.2 miles.  Next we raced against each other, doesn’t matter who won…. I won ;).  

 

We did one more climb and then had a cool down.  Kelly was really good about making sure we stretched and didn’t leave with jelly legs.  Liz and I were a sweaty mess, but within 10 minutes, I was thinking I would do it again (not right after my class, obviously, but another night)!  I felt like I had a really great workout and I liked how Kelly pushed us.  So exciting to cross something off the list!

 

Bath Products I Love

I love taking baths!  To me, they are for good or bad days - anytime is a good time to relax with a nice hot bath.  As a bath lover, I have tried lots of products and wanted to share some of my favorites:

1.  Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Luxury Bubble Bath ($14)

My husband got this for me for Christmas and I absolutely love it!  The scent is only available during the holidays, but B&BW has the bubble bath available in lots of other scents.  Vanilla Bean Noel is described as "a merry blend of creamy vanilla, warm caramel and whipped cream sprinkled with holiday sugar cookies."  It smells delicious and very rich in the bottle, although the scent doesn't transfer too strongly in the bath.  It bubbles up nicely, and I tend to add enough to get as much bubbles as possible without overflowing the tub.  Get a coupon, find a scent you like, and try this out!

2.  LUSH Bath Bombs and Bubble Bars ($6-10)

Sakura Bath Bomb

I have been able to try a few bath goodies from LUSH, and have liked them all (some more than others).  When I placed the Sakura bath bomb in my already filled bath, it fizzed around for about 90 seconds and all the blue "pop rocks" fell to the bottom of the tub.  About 15 minutes into my bath, they starting fizzing and bubbling, almost like built in jets in the tub!  The nice thing about LUSH bath bombs/bubble bars is that they leave your bath water feeling really soft and silky.  LUSH bubble bars (I like Karma) are also nice.  These you cut and usually 1 can be split for 3 baths.  I definitely recommend stopping in a LUSH store and trying something out (they have a LOT more than just bath products)!  I have also found LUSH baths are great to shave your legs in as the water is nice and silky. 

Speaking of shaving your legs....

3. EOS Shave Lotion ($3.49 @ Target)

I love this product!  It was a random find at Target and I'm so glad I picked it up.  It goes on like a lotion and smells awesome.  I have sensitive skin and this has never irritated me at all.  This shave lotion leaves your legs (and underarms!) silky smooth and moisturized.

4. Candles

 

I always light a candle when I take a bath!  My husband laughs because he thinks I am trying to make it romantic, but anyone that knows me knows I LOVE candles and always have one lit, so why not during a bath?  They smell amazing and add an extra element of relaxation!  I picked up a Lemongrass candle on our honeymoon from the spa, but I can't find it anywhere online.  I have a pretty big collection of Bath & Body Works candles and find the scents transfer really well while burning- plus the mason jar ones are perfect for a bath ledge (and you can always get them on sale or use a coupon)!

Take some of these tips and treat yourself to a relaxing bath soon!



Going For It

What kind of experiences do you want to have in your life?  We are always telling our friends "man, I wish I would have bought tickets to that concert", or, "I have always wanted to visit Paris."  Just over a month ago, I decided to make a list of things I wanted to do before my 25th birthday.  Over the next 17 months, my goal is to check everything off of my 25 before 25 list.  Number 23 on the list is to start a lifestyle blog.  When I was making my list, I went to dinner with two of my friends, and over a few beers, they convinced me to start a blog.  It is something I have always wanted to do, but a little push from them definitely helped!

This blog is going to be a journal where I can keep track of my 25 before 25 list, a place where I can share my reviews on make-up and body products, somewhere I can document my DIY projects, and share different parts of my life.  I figured I could call it "What Gina Says", because that's exactly what it is!  It will be what I think about new products, places I've traveled, fitness classes I've tried, and anything else that comes up along the way.  Give me some time to get the hang of this, but I think if you stick around, we could have a lot of fun!