It’s been hard to get into a regular routine since getting laid off–every day has been a little different. Sometimes I have an interview or a meeting or sometimes I have time-sensitive errands that need to be run.

The one consistent thing has been that I need to work out in the morning or by lunchtime. This has mostly worked out because I’ve had plans almost every night, but it’s worked out for the best, because it makes me feel like I accomplished something for the day.

This morning, I had plans to wake up early and take a class at the gym before an interview. I laid in bed for too long and missed the class, so I finally decided to brave the weight room on my own.

I had a Luna bar and banana for breakfast before hitting the gym in my apartment building to try a strength workout from The New Rules of Lifting for Women.

I took a look at the workout in the book and then wrote it down on a piece of paper to bring with me.

P.S. My writing is usually a little neater than this! I was in a rush. I looked at this workout and thought it looked pretty easy but I’d give it a try.

I did the squats, push ups and seated row as prescribed, but the step up and prone jacknife were where things got different. I thought I knew what the book was asking for with the step up, so I just did the 2 sets of 15 step-ups on a bench. When I got back, I looked at the book and saw that it recommended using weights, which I did not. No wonder it felt so easy. As for the prone jacknife, the building gym didn’t have a workout ball, so I had to improvise. I ended up doing a 60-second regular plank and then a 60-second plank on my forearms. I also added in 50 jumping jacks between each set for some cardio intervals.

All in all, I didn’t find this workout very challenging at all, but since it’s the first workout of the program, maybe it’s not supposed to be. The one thing I realized is that I do need to be more consistent with my strength training. I need to either stick with this NROLW program or find a gym strength class I really like and stick with it so I can challenge my body.