Awkward Vodka Bootcamp

No, this is not a drinking bootcamp. This is actually something your body will thank you for while you hibernate this winter.

If you like to drink as much as we do, it’s very important to try and stay active at the same time. And as we head into colder, darker months, it’s harder to get motivated to work out and stay fit. So we’ve come up with a very doable routine that anyone – seasoned athletes and rookies both – can commit to throughout the winter. It’s as easy as 1-2-3:

  1. awesome playlist
  2. days of circuit training
  3. days of cardio

The workout:

To avoid boredom and make time pass quickly (which is super important if you hate working out as much as we do), circuit workouts are key. Here’s a plan we suggest:

  • 5 minutes of warm-up
  • 10 minutes of circuits: 2 minutes of cardio (jumping jacks, high knees, quick feet, etc.) followed by 1 minutes of strength (push-ups, planks, squats, etc.) and end with 1 minute of rest time. REPEAT 3 TIMES
  • 5 minutes to cool-down

Based on your current fitness level, repeat the circuit anywhere from three to five times. We started with three and that has proved to be a tough enough 40 minutes for us…for now 🙂 You can mix and match your cardio and strength activities to keep the workout interesting. We have decided to do a different activity each time, which seems to be working well and is definitely challenging. Especially when we get to the ones we hate doing  – like burpees.

Then for the days of cardio, we prefer to go to 45-minute cycling classes, but you can do anything you’d like. Running, biking, swimming – whatever suits you best. And mix it up!

There you have it, Awkward Vodka’s workout plan. Much better than Kanye’s if I do say so myself.

It’s as easy as that! Well let me take that back. It’s not as easy as it sounds. See the picture below as evidence. That’s us after Day 1:

workout

But our plan is to continue to stick with this routine so eventually it will become easier. And we’ll be super strong. See us already on Day 3. Look at that confidence, already taking barftastic gym mirror selfies:

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Tips to keep in mind:

Hydrate. It is very important to stay hydrated before, during and after workouts.
Solicit a workout buddy. Let me tell you, it is way easier to get out of bed in the morning / stay accountable to these workouts if you know someone else is joining you. Plus, it’s always fun to have someone to commiserate with while going through these hellish activities.
Use apps: Not just for drinking anymore! One of our fav power hour app also works as a handy timer/playlist as we’re going through our circuits. After a minute, the song changes and so does our activity. We don’t need to keep an eye on the clock and get to enjoy soooo much more good pump-up music than with a regular playlist.

Let us know if you have any other tips or workouts we should consider. Joining us on our fitness kick? Let us know! We’d love to complain with you about how much it sucks.

Gym 2

Pedal Pub!

IMG_3542If you’ve never done a Pedal Pub, I highly suggest you try one. We went on one last weekend, and it was a blast.

According to their website, The PedalPub® is the Bike with the Barrel!® Their mission is to provide a fun, safe, environmentally-friendly way for groups of eight to sixteen adults to get some light exercise and fresh air while touring interesting parts of town on a big Dutch-made bike.

Our tour went around Northeast Minneapolis. I only went into Mayslack’s Bar to take shots and stayed drinking on the pedal pub at other stops.

Here are the top 6 reasons we love pedal pubbin’:

  1. The majority of the times available are during the day so it’s totally acceptable and expected that you’re day drunk.
  2. It’s a good workout. Unless you grab one of the seats without wheels for the majority IMG_3527of the ride (guilty), you’ll be pedaling for at least an hour while tipping back those high-cal drinks.
  3. All of the Pedal Pubs that we’ve been on have a CD player which means you can jam out to your own music while pedaling along. Our mix included Ke$ha, Beyonce, Spice Girls, Michael Jackson, J. Beibs, Robyn and Miley.
  4. Last weekend was beautiful! It was like 75 degrees and sunny all afternoon. Chilling on the pedal pub was a great way to enjoy great weather while also binge drinking!
  5. Who doesn’t like a bar crawl? Well this is a bar crawl minus the walking.
  6. It’s totally acceptable to wear comfy clothes because you’re basically working out…

There’s still time left in the summer! So schedule one. You won’t regret it.

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Working Out With Mr. Love Muscle

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Let’s be honest, no one really likes working out. It is called “working” for a reason. It’s not fun. Plain and simple. However, to try and make it more fun a few of us got memberships at the same gym. But here’s the thing. As struggling 20-somethings, we aren’t rolling in the dough quite yet. So we’ve opted for one of the cheapest gyms out there (which will remain nameless to protect the privacy of the people listed below).

Recently we took a class with an instructor none of us had ever heard of before. WARNING: NEVER DO THIS. Ten minutes into the class we all regretted being there. It was a circus. So I decided to create a cast list of the people we encountered during our workout class in the twilight zone.

“Mr. Love Muscle” Our instructor was a 50-year-old Richard Simmons wannabe. Not only did he make uncomfortable gestures and references throughout the hour long class, but he told us the story TWICE about “working his love muscle.” I’ll leave it at that.

“Armpit Hair Woman” Front and center was an interesting woman wearing a wife beater with longer armpit hair than Hulk Hogan. Thank god we stayed far away from her. I’m sure that would have been an interesting smell.

“Butt Crack Man” Right in front of us was a man well into his 60s who couldn’t control his BO. Not only did he smell bad, but his butt crack played peekaboo as Mr. Love Muscle made us do squats repeatedly throughout the class. Not cute.

Moral of the story, scout out your instructors and class attendees before committing to an hour with these people. If you’re not careful, you will be scarred for life. Have you encountered interesting characters at the gym? If so, please share! We’d love to hear that we aren’t the only people who judge others while working out…