Typical Day
The alarm goes off at 6:30AM, and Allegra slaps the snooze button. It's Monday, and she's not quite ready to let go of her weekend. The bed is too comfortable, and as a fitness instructor, she knows how important rest is for the muscles.
At 6:35AM, the alarm goes off again. Allegra sits up this time; being careful not to disturb Steven (the boyfriend), she shakes off the last bits of sleep and rolls out of bed, still a little sore from all the exercise that she's been doing since...well, it feels like forever. You'd think that four years as a fitness instructor would be enough time to get your muscles to stop complaining, but no.
She goes through her typical morning hygiene routine, which doesn't include a shower because there's really no point. She sits at her dining room table to enjoy her breakfast, consisting of a yogurt (for protein), a granola bar (for carbs), and a coffee (for everything else). By 7:15AM, she is out the door of her apartment building. Living in the city, Allegra doesn't really need a car to get anywhere, but especially not to work. She only lives a few blocks away from the gym.
At 7:28AM, Allegra walks into work: a full-service fitness center/gymnasium on the second and third floors of a non-descript office building. She doesn't sign in or log on or anything like that; instead, she says good morning to Valerie, the receptionist, and walks straight into the second studio on her left.
She says another good morning to the seven early-risers arranged on mats facing the classes' mirrored image. She plugs her music player into the dock, selects the correct playlist, and begins the first class of the day: a forty-five-minute "Wake Up and Stretch" routine.
As she leads the class through knee bends, downward dogs, and deep exhalation, Allegra feels more energized and ready to take on the day. Her weekend of beach barbecues fades away—she's ready to get back to business.
Class ends at 8:15AM, and after that, it's time to do her rounds in the gym. For a couple hours, she'll check in with her coworkers, say hey to the gym members she knows, offer a bit of advice here and there, and do anything else that might help.
Valerie needs to take a half-hour break, so at 10:00AM, Allegra takes over the front desk. She spends the next thirty minutes checking in members and answering phones. A fax comes through, but Allegra leaves it be. She's just covering the reception desk; she's not actually the receptionist and she doesn't want to mess anything up.
10:30AM hits and Valerie tags Allegra out. One more round through the gym, and then Allegra heads to the studio for the 11:00AM class. The class is called "Pop It Like You're Hot," featuring intense aerobics set to mid-2000s pop music. It's one of the more popular sessions; there's a slow buzz in the studio as it fills up with excited people who are ready to sweat. Allegra's just as excited, because it's going to be her first real workout of the day.
After her twenty-minute Fab Abs class departs at 1:20PM, Allegra heads out for lunch. Some days she brings her lunch, but since it's Monday and she's already burned over 1000 calories, she's decided to treat herself. Max and Taylor, two of the gym's personal trainers, head out with her to munch on salads with quinoa, kale, and other healthy hippie food.
They spend the next hour talking about their weekends, their clients, and which kind of protein is the best to use (exciting stuff, really). The guys take off, but Allegra decides to hang around a bit longer—her next class doesn't start until 3:00PM and she's got a book that needs reading.
Two sentences in, Steven calls to say hello. By the time she finishes her "I love you too's, she hangs up and checks out the clock on the screen. It's 2:55PM; so much for finding out how the book ends. She's got to hustle back to the gym for her kettle bell class.
Allegra steps out of the shower around 4:45PM, finally ready to freshen up a bit. Her work day has come to an end and she smells totally gross.
After her shower, Allegra stays at the gym, shooting the breeze with all the familiar faces and helping with any minor tasks they need. It's almost 6:00PM when she finally leaves, but that's okay: Steven won't have dinner ready for another couple hours. It's his turn to cook.
After enjoying the delicious and incredibly nutritious dinner, Allegra sits down in front of her computer around 8:00PM. Not only does she spend most of her days focused on fitness, but also her evenings. She writes advice and anecdotes on her personal blog. It's a good way for her to stay in the loop in the digital fitness world as well as the real one. She also makes a little cash off the advertisements, which go a long way in dealing with her good-but-not-great salary.
By 10:00PM, Allegra has stretched, meditated, and climbed into bed. There are a lot of days Allegra could complain about. Today wasn't one of them.