Health + Fitness |

Workout Life Update: Muscle Building in Quarantine

A Little History

I’ve always been an on-and-off type of fitness person. In high school I was on the swim team (loved it). In college I was an occasional runner. In my early 20’s I got into Pilates. Between the ages of 26-31 I had my babies, and I don’t remember spending a lot of time on fitness then. (Mostly it was spent keeping small children alive.) In 2016 I had my most successful ‘on’ fitness year. My friend Paige turned me on to BBG. She and I were long-distance workout buddies for almost the entire year. She would always text me and ask me if I did the workout and how it was. Knowing that her text was coming motivated me to get moving everyday. This was the beginning of my real interest in working out. I enjoyed the challenge, and the progress of watching my stamina and strength grow.

Unfortunately, at the beginning of 2017 my routine was thrown off when we moved and I struggled to get back into working out. I had some ‘on’ phases over the next two years and many more ‘off’ phases. And I’m okay with that. No regrets. There are times in life when things just move in a different direction.

At the end of 2019, a little bit before Christmas, Mr. Seasons and I finally got back into an ‘on’ phase. I can’t remember what our impetus was. I think we were just mentally ready to be more active again. We thought the middle of the holidays was a good time to start moving our bodies and adding exercise in to our weekly routines. Since then we’ve had a pretty good rhythm of getting up early 3x per week to workout. We started BBG again, but around the 9 week mark I grew tired of it. I wanted less jumping and more weights. So we tried a weight-lifing program in the SWEAT app for a few weeks, and it didn’t feel like ‘enough.’ Finally, I was persuaded by my friend Paige to try the workout gu-ru she’d been following, Madeline Moves.

The first workout we tried was a 30 minute full-body session. I was enticed by the ladder format and promise of a half-hour session. It went by fast and it was actually fun! Mr. Seasons and I were so sore the next few days we could barely walk. We did the ‘smart’ thing and tried another one of her workouts the next day, and then the next day. And I was hooked. After about a week of doing her free previews on Instagram I bought the app and cancelled the one I’d been using.

Going Strong

Today marks the end of our fifth week of using the app, 5x per week, and I am in love with the workouts. Love and workouts are not two words I usually use in the same sentence. I love them because they are different everyday! And they work my body hard, but not in a way that kills me. They make me feel strong and capable. I’ll admit, most days when it’s time to start, I feel like the kid that ‘doesn’t wanna’ but by the end I am sweaty and happily spent. And best of all, I am energized to take on my day.

The workouts are a strategic combination of weight training and cardio, with a primary focus on building muscle. As Madeline says, building muscle is an investment in your body, and it’s a long haul, not a quick fix. I find it enjoyable because it’s a result I can see (weight lifting increases, body composition changes) and feel. The app is a little bit dated, but it’s the workouts that keep me coming back. There is so much variety, nothing is ever redundant or boring. They usually take us about an hour to complete, and they fly by.

Our humble garage set up. I use the mat for just about everything, Mr. Seasons likes to use the bench. We’ve slowly added an assortment of dumbbells over the years. In recent weeks we added bands too. Below are links to the exact items we use (except for the yoga mats, which are pretty old).

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Why I Workout

Let’s talk about the ‘why’ behind the workout. To be completely honest, yes, I do want to be fit and look fit. Over the last two years I’ve seen a slow, creep up in my weight. I don’t own a scale, so I never weigh myself, but I began to notice some of my pants getting increasingly uncomfortable. But if looking good was my only motivation, I don’t think I’d ever do it. I do it because I am addicted to feeling strong and alive and healthy. Quarantine, especially in the beginning, wore on me and my mental state, dragging me down. This is the perfect antidote. Working out makes me feel confident, but not because of a look, because of how I FEEL.

In some ways, working out and now nutrition has become my biggest quarantine project. Because, when I can’t control the world around me, it feels really good to find something I can throw my efforts into wholeheartedly and see results.

The Other Half of the Equation

About a month ago I asked my friend Paige (who is pretty shredded these days) if she thought I could see the same results from the workouts as she has seen *without* following any sort of dietary protocol. You can probably guess her answer. You can have all the good working out and weightlifting in the world, but if it’s not followed up by proper nutrition, you’re only completing half of the project. I decided that day to start focusing on my nutrition via macro tracking.

Macros

All food has value and will directly affect your fitness goals, i.e. fat loss, muscle gain, body recomposition, etc. Tracking macros, or macronutrients, means deciding which combination of protein, fat and carbs you want to eat to meet your goals. Each day I figure out the puzzle of these three proportions that serve my daily goal, which is to eat an increased amount of protein, and stay in a slight calorie cut. The breakdown of what I eat each day is approximately 40%/30%/30% split of carbs, protein and fats. I am in a calorie cut for right now, until I meet some goals, and then I will move back to a maintenance level. I am new to all of this, so please know this is my beginniner’s, working knowledge. There are many, many people out there who know a lot more about macros than I do. If you want to learn more, a Google search will go a long way. My goal is to eventually get to a place of building my meals with the knowledge I am acquiring — through learning what portions of protein, carbs and fat look like — without strict macro counting and weighing. For now, I am using the MyFitnessPal app to track my macros and build out my days.

Protein Sources

As I mentioned, I’ve significantly upped the amount of protein I am eating to aid in my nutrition and muscle-building goals. Eating more protein has brought a few benefits I didn’t expect: sustained energy throughout the day (no afternoon slump!) and a majorly curbed desire for ‘snacky’ foods because I am filling up on other stuff. I eat about 130 grams of protein a day, and at fist, that seemed really hard to get to. But again with the the help of my workout buddy, I found some smart ways to build it into my day. Each morning I add PB Fit to my steel cut oats (love to start my days with carbs!) along with some raisins for sweetness (8g of protein). For my in-between-breakfast-and-lunch snack, I make a protein shake with my very favorite protein powder (21g). (You can find it on Amazon, but often Costco has the better price.) I like to make it with my favorite high-protein plant milk for added flavor and protein (10g) and I add in another half serving of PB Fit because it tastes good (8g). (Some days I add half a frozen banana and it’s delicious!) My afternoon snack is always plain greek yogurt (17g), I prefer some with fat in it (2%) because it tastes better. I add collagen to my yogurt for extra goodness and protein (9g). (Again, the better price is at Costco if you can find it.) And I always top my yogurt with a small serving of pure maple syrup which makes it delicious. If I have extra fats I’ll add some peanut butter (3g), and that officially makes it my favorite snack in the whole world. Add it all up, and that’s 76 grams of protein, without factoring in lunch or dinner. You can see how working little bits of protein in here and there really adds up and makes it so I am not eating giant portions of meat at dinner to hit my protein goals. (Did that the first week, rookie mistake, and also kind of gross. Another rookie mistake I made: not weighing my protein powder, after a week or two I realized I was almost accidentally doubling my portion. Now I use my scale every time for accurate results (and fewer dirty dishes).)

Pardon me for nerding out on protein for a minute. I know this is not for everyone, and might not be for me forever. It is what I’m enjoying right now, my body feels good when I eat this way (which also includes loads of veggies and whole foods that nourish me).

Workout Clothes 


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I am a pretty plain-Jane when it comes down to workout clothes. I have precisely enough to wear for five days, and then it’s time for laundry. I don’t like to spend money on them, and I’ve been wearing the same stuff forever. I’ve owned the same pair of Nike Free Runs since 2013, and they are the only shoes I use for working out. (If I was a runner, of course this would be a totally different story.) My clothes are a mishmash of old items, and they work. I even have a pair of Prana shorts dating back to college, and they are still awesome. Recently I started wearing my Everlane leggings for working out, and they are perfect for high impact days because they’re super breathable. I like them so much I plan to order a second pair when the restock next month. But, if I were in the market to buy a few new items, the ones above are a few I would pick up.

Thanks for reading along with this very long-winded workout life update. It’s something I’ve become really engrossed in over the last month or two, and I am having a lot of fun with it. Note: this is my journey and what works for me, please don’t feel bad if your quarantine self-care 100% does not involve workout and fitness. We are all doing the best we can. I hope this post leaves you encouraged to find what makes you excited to take on the day, something that puts a little pep in your step.


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10 thoughts on “Workout Life Update: Muscle Building in Quarantine

  1. I tried the SWEAT app last year, and I did it regularly for a few months and quit. I don’t remember why exactly. I’m an on and off runner. I’m on the slower side, and I wanted to do more strength training to make myself a faster runner. After seeing you and Paige do Madeline Moves, I tried it and I love it! I have a small setup in my unfinished basement and am slowly gathering equipment. I refuse to do burpees anymore, I got burned out on those with the SWEAT app! Anytime I see a burpee in a Madeline moves workout I skip it! lol. I’m on the fence about counting macros. I worry that I will obsess over it too much.
    Are you going to do tighter together?

    1. Hi Michelle, I AM doing TT! I am excited and a little nervous. Our family is supposed to go camping in the middle of it, so I am going to try and start my macro cut early if I get my numbers from Madeline in time. And I will spend the next week+ going back up in macros so I don’t feel deprived at all going into the challenge. I am so thrilled that Paige and I inspired you to try MM, it’s really great, huh?! I can’t believe it took me so long to listen to Paige and just try it. I hear you on the SWEAT burpee burnout, too many for sure. Yes, I think it’s really easy to obsess about macro counting. Since we are staying at home, I am kind of using this as a learning time, and will probably eventually try to only count them during ‘push’ phases a few times a year. We will see! Are you going to do tighter together?

  2. Love this post Andrea! So cool seeing what works for you. I’m really motivated to find my fitness and nutrition groove earlier on after this pregnancy, and I’ve been considering Madeline Moves (as you know)! Do you think the workouts would be doable PP, and do you think fewer days a week would work? No way I’m doing five days a week right off the bat.

    I’ve also been interested in a more plant-based high-protein approach to support breastfeeding, so your tips for integrating more protein were super helpful !

  3. Thank you so much for this post. I need the motivation desperately (my body has gotten soft and I don’t like it at all) and you’re rocking guns with those fabulous triceps! I am going to look into doing her workouts and will use your links too :) I’m not familiar with macros but I do think it is do-able.

    1. Aw thanks Brenda! And don’t worry about using my links to her workout, there’s no connection there, I just super love them! You could try following them for a week on Insta, and if you like them, buy the app! They are a great challenge. I am just really keen on building muscle instead of cardio-ing myself to death. ;)

  4. I’ve been doing Weekly Moves since November but never did macro counting until now. I have been using all the free time at home to start practicing and learning how to macro count. I got the MyFitnessPal app and a scale from Amazon. It’s helpful to hear how you pack in your protein! I totally did the same rookie mistake the first week and ate almost a half a chicken for dinner one night my first week – ha! :) I just started adding vital proteins collagen to my smoothies in the morning, switched yoghurt brands, and also added beef jerky as one of my snack foods. It’s definitely a learning experience but it’s fun nerding out on new things! I’m doing TT too, can’t wait! I also follow Paige on IG and she’s great at providing inspiration for working out at home :)

    1. It’s really the perfect time to unpack and understand nutrition, huh? Since we can have so much control over our meals… That’s basically what I am doing too. It’s kind of amazing to learn so much!! Thanks for sharing your rookie mistake!! ;) Good luck on your TT!

  5. Hi Andrea,
    I looked into Madeline Moves after reading about it on your blog- and even signed up for the app- however must admit it was challenging to sign up, and I am not sure I fully understand how to to do the workouts and haven’t been able to find the info on the Madeline website. Perhaps you can answer me – is the idea to do the exercises with in each set continuously without a break and then rest after 1 round? Or if there are 3 rounds in a set- then do all 3 rounds of the set and then rest before the next set? Thanks so much.

    1. Hi Tess,
      I know it’s confusing at first. The best info I have found about the workouts is from her Instagram. If there is a set, I usually do the first exercise, second exercise, third exercise, then repeat from the top. I take plenty of breaks as needed, unless it’s a timed workout. Does that help? Feel free to let me know if you have more questions!

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