Get Active: A 5 Day Diary.

I’ve talked a bit in these parts about my friendship with Molly. We met through blogging a few years ago (her Sally’s site, A Piece of Toast is one of the few that I check every single day.) The two of them have amazing taste style, and always track down cool new off the beaten path discoveries that I wouldn’t have necessarily found on my own. But blogging aside, we’ve stayed friends – we talk on chat nearly every week, share ideas inspiration, and talk about life outside of blogging. (Yeah, that’s kinda important, too!)

This month, as part of our collaboration with Old Navy, Molly and I were excited to be partnered up… challenging each other to do something active for five days straight. Throughout the five days, we texted each other words of encouragement and kept each other accountable. (I always find that I’m so much better at sticking to my workouts when I have a friend keeping me accountable. To further motivate ourselves, we each picked up a new outfit from Old Navy (because let’s be real — cute workout gear helps, too!) I picked up these leggings (love the writing on the leg), this bright tank, and this hoodie.

Sunday: I met my friend Felicia for a class at Brooklyn Body Burn. Oh.my.god. I’ve never experienced anything quite like this class. For those of you who think you are in decent shape… take this class. Just once. Be prepared to be completely and utterly humbled. BBB is 55 minutes of pure torture. There is no warm up, no cool down… just 55 minutes of this terrible (awesome) reformer-esque contraption. There are lunges, planks, mountain climbers… the works. I can barely work the machine. I am dizzy. I keep looking down at the message on my tights. “Rest Later. You can rest later.” But I powered through… though at one point the instructor gave me a lifesaver because I thought I was going to pass out. It was awful. And glorious. All at once. I texted Molly hours later (body still shaking) telling her that we have to go next time she’s in the city.

Monday: Monday was an active rest day as I felt like I got into a fight – or fell down five sets of stairs. I walked to and from work, took a twenty minute walk during lunch… and treated myself to a whole lot of stretching foam rolling when I got home from work. Also, I booked a five pack at Brooklyn Body Burn. Guess I’m a glutton for punishment.

Tuesday: I take a 7:30 yoga class after work at Yoga Vida. I love this class because it moves so fast that you get a little cardio in, too. I leave feeling stretched, centered, and sweaty. Just as Brooklyn Body Burn stressed me out because it was such a huge push out of my comfort zone, a class at Yoga Vida is comforting (almost soothing despite being a hard workout) as it’s so familiar – the big room, my mat, the constant ebb flow of the class.

Wednesday: Anddd a little more familiarity… I wake up and take an 8am Soul Cycle Class with Sunny. Sunny is my favorite. Her music is always the best (a mix between trance – the good kind – and hip hop) and she will totally kick your butt, watching you like a hawk to make sure you are working hard and getting the best possible workout. I leave Soul drenched and head home to quickly get ready for work.

I look like a huge dork here, but had fun making a GIF for you!

Thursday: Thursday was probably the hardest as it was a travel day for me. I checked into my hotel at Turks & Caicos around 3:30pm and frankly, all I wanted to do was sit at the pool with a glass of wine. But first… I went for a walk on the beach. I mean, not exactly tough work… but still, I got in a solid 45 minutes. By 4:15, my calves were burning (walking in the sand!) and I was sitting at the pool with that glass of Sauvignon Blanc. I texted Molly a rather taunting photo from the beach. So mean… I’m sorry, Molly!

So there you have it… five days of being active. If anything, this served as a good reminder that carving even just 30-40 minutes out of your day can make such a difference. You feel better, you ultimately look better, and it’s a nice way to get a little extra time for yourself. Head on over to A Piece of Toast to see how Molly did with her challenge!

photography by Lydia Hudgens.

This post was sponsored by Old Navy. Check out Old Navy’s latest fashion lineup in store or online at oldnavy.com.