I love group fitness.

There’s nothing more motivating than an instructor in front of the class, telling you what to do, and a ton of other sweaty, awesome people all around you to keep you from quitting.

But I love running, and frankly, I love fitting into my jeans.

I love the feeling of hard work paying off.

Seven years ago, I hit my goals working out with a personal trainer, working out in a very specific system he’d designed that knew led to weight loss with his clients.

Three years ago, I did a partnership with Uplift, and I lost some weight — but more importantly, I got stronger and more confident from lifting and doing this consistently in conjunction with my running. It’s no coincidence that I got a big half marathon PR that spring, too. (To be fair, I was also unemployed and had all the time in the world to work out in between job searching.)

OK, yes, fine, I am sucking in some, but still.

So why doesn’t the ClassPass/on demand model work? Specificity. (Awesome article explaining it at length here.)

Want to run faster? You need to…wait for it…RUN.

Want to compete in a weight lifting competition? You need to train…for a weight lifting competition.

If you don’t have specific goals, planning your workout schedule by whatever class is open works. And don’t get me wrong — I’ve been a ClassPass member for years and I enjoy the service.

But today, I had a training session with Leanne at Uplift and she asked me what I was doing currently to work out. “I see your Instagram and I see you’re trying a million things…but what does your schedule look like week to week?”

Honestly, I told her, it was largely dictated by whatever cool press event I get invited to or whatever workout happened to be open or what direction the wind was swaying or who was available. (Or, if volunteers are needed to work out on our show at work. WHY YES I WILL ALWAYS BE TRIBUTE.)

But to lose a little weight/gain some strength like I’d like to, that’s not going to work. So I’m going to work with Leanne for a bit because, yes, I need some accountability, and I am the weirdo who LOVES being pushed really freaking hard by someone. (Leanne is also my friend and it was weird at first when we worked out a few years ago having her see me completely pushed to my max/a little angry at her, but I got over it.)

I’m going to work out with her for a while (disclaimer: we’ve done partnerships in the past, but this all on my own dime, though on their “happy hour” rate) and see what kind of results I get, along with some lifestyle changes like cooking more, wining less (oh, the usual…), etc.

Let’s see if there’s really something to this specificity. And you — are you training for something specific (weight loss goals, race, etc?) or working out just for fun? I’ve been in both camps — it’s just a matter of current goals.

This post is sponsored by OLLY. All opinions and dumb jokes are my own.

Eight years ago, I moved to NYC to follow my dreams.

Seven years ago, I became one of those weirdos who “feels off” if they don’t get their workouts in.

Four or five years ago, I became even weirder: I started to have to get my workouts in in the morning, thrilled at the relative calm it gave me to face the day.

Along the way, I started working longer hours, taking on more volunteer commitments, running longer races — and more things that ate up my time. (Oh, and I’m single, so I attempt that dating thing too, sometimes.)

To be honest, I attribute some of the weight I’ve gained back over the past few years to getting away from cooking as much as I used to. I’m getting better at lunches and dinners, but breakfast can still be tricky for me. 99% of the time, I really want eggs, but they don’t travel super well, and I’m usually either heading straight to work after a workout or heading out to our studio in LIC by 8am and need to eat en route.

I actually happened to be looking into different on-the-go breakfast options when OLLY reached out to me.

Their plant-based protein smoothie powders are pretty damn delicious and good for me (oh, and easy to travel with.) They’re plant-based, vegan and gluten-free — but most importantly, they don’t taste chalky like other options I’ve tried. They have a hint of sweetness, but not nauseatingly so or in an artificial way. I can shake ‘em up in a blender bottle or use them as a smoothie base and be out the door.

Believe me when I say I’m not typically the type who can stay full from a smoothie. I like to chew. (It sounds weird, but you know you do, too, come on.) But I’ve managed to have these before an 8am workout and not get hungry until noon — when I typically start thinking about lunch, oh, when I wake up.

Want to try the smoothies for yourself? They’re doing a sweet giveaway! Enter here for a chance to win a six-month supply of smoothies, $500 gift card to Target, Harley Pasternak Blender and $200 Athleta giftcard. Just for playing, EVERYONE will get a $5 coupon to Target.com.

What’s your favorite on-the-go breakfast for busy mornings?