This week Lisa Jillian Marconi (33), a celebrity hair stylist, cat mom and social butterfly from Brooklyn, NY, tells us how she fell in love with movement while being house bound during the Pandemic.
Having an aerobics and Pilates instructor as a mom, and a runner as a dad, you’d think working out would be ingrained in my DNA. But the truth is that I’ve struggled with sticking to a consistent workout routine my entire life. Last March when the world was forced to stay inside, daily movement was the only thing keeping me grounded. It was my escape from the chaos outside my front door, my connection to friends that I was unable to see in person, and the bright spot of each day that brought me closer to myself. Through all the amazing workouts I tried last year, I’ve found what works for me, and with consistency and commitment it’s become a part of my lifestyle so much so that I can’t imagine my days without it. Maybe last year wasn’t so bad after all.
Day 1: Monday
I consider myself pretty lucky to have Mondays off. I’m a hairstylist and that’s pretty common in our industry, so sleeping in is usually in the cards for my Monday morning. Mondays are also my Sundays, so I usually take the day to reset my mind and body for the coming week with yoga and a run.
I change into my favorite new workout onesie from Beyond Yoga and open the Nike Training app for yoga with the one and only Alex Silver-Fagan, (I’m also lucky to call her a friend). Her “Fiery Yoga Flow” and “Energetic & Fiery Yoga” and my favs. Upping my cardio is always on my to-do list and I’ve committed to *attempting* to run 5 miles a week. Some weeks it happens, others it doesn’t, and that’s okay. I don’t punish myself if I don’t make it to 5 miles. So some Mondays I run 2 and the rest of the week I sprinkle in a mile a day until I’ve reached 5. Like I said, zero pressure or self punishment if it’s less than 5 miles.
Day 2: Tuesday
I’ll just preface this by saying Rachel Robinson’s workout has changed my life. I found Rachel (aka @rachel_fitness) on Instagram in October of 2020. Coincidentally I was pretty desperate to find a new workout that resonated with me and I knew immediately this one was something special. Like most of us, Rachel had to pivot due to the pandemic so she started to do live workouts on her IG LIVE every weekday morning at 8:30am EST. (I’m always a day behind, her workouts always start on Mondays but are saved to her Instagram and YouTube channel).
Each day is designed to workout a different body part, or multiple body parts, and the week always starts with full body. She packs in an hour’s worth of movement into 30 minutes with an intense mix of cardio and weight lifting, no breaks, lots of sweat. I now do all five days every week. One mile run to finish. Tuesday, done!
Day 3: Wednesday
The dreaded chest and back. For whatever reason it’s the hardest day for me. Whether it’s medium weight week or heavy weight week, it’s always the day I look forward to the least. Maybe it’s the amount of push-ups and burpees. Maybe it’s the hump day blues. Whatever it is, I push through and by the end I feel so excited that my back is mayyybe that much more toned that somehow chest and back becomes my new favorite day. That is until next Wednesday morning rolls around. Gotta run to work, so no run on the treadmill today.
Day 4: Thursday
Arm day is one of those days that I feel like my peak self. I throw on my favorite workout top and admire how perfectly my gold chains are gracing my décolletage thanks to yesterday’s chest presses. I know I’m about to get my triceps right for all the sleeveless moments I’m about to have this summer. Rachel always says “reps get you ripped”, so I push through knowing the reward will be worth it. I’m feelin’ so good *cue jLo* that getting a run in is no question. Just one, and done!
Day 5: Friday
Welcome to leg day. A day I used to loathe but have grown to absolutely love. A day full of lunges and squats and deadlifts, oh my! The jump squats will burn, the quick feet will feel impossible, the plyometrics will nearly break you. But once it’s over I feel like the badass that Rachel insists I am for showing up on leg day. I can hear her now shouting through the camera “Where my badasses at!?” Looking in the mirror I smile and nod to myself. Zero chance of a run today, and zero worries about that.
Day 6: Saturday
My favorite day of the week. Not only because it’s my Friday, but because it’s ass & abs and it’s oh so fun as we bounce back and forth between both body parts. Rachel levels up by adding a mini band and/or resistance band to the workout. She piles on the popcorn jump squats, wall sits, and kickbacks that burn so good you can actually feel your bum getting perkier. I swear I can feel my abs (which are invisible to the naked eye) fully flexed in all their glory during each crunch. I hollow rock until, hallelujah! The week is done. No time for a run today, and no shame in my game.
Day 7: Sunday
Sometimes I rest, other times I finish out my week’s running goal, but my ideal way to move on a Sunday is a bike ride through Brooklyn. I throw on my signature black biker shorts and pedal the Sunday scaries away. With the weather being warmer and the days stretching longer, getting outside is exactly the reward my body and mind deserve after the intense week of workouts I’ve had. I feel accomplished knowing I’ve made it through another week and had a great time while doing it. For me, it’s all about that feeling. Sometimes I wonder why I’ve had such a hard time committing to consistent movement, but then I remind myself that I’m here now, and that’s what matters. Monday can’t come soon enough.
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