Sweat Diaries: The Software Engineer Who Spends $311 a Week on Boutique Fitness

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

Welcome to Sweat Diaries, Be Well Philly’s look at the time, energy, and money people invest in pursuit of a healthy lifestyle in Philly. For each Sweat Diary, we ask one Philadelphian to spend a week tracking everything they eat, all the exercise they get, and the money they spend on both. Want to submit a Sweat Diary? Email ccunningham@phillymag.com with details. 

Who I am: Hee Jin Cho, 30, from Rittenhouse Square

What I do: Work in software sales and engineering

What role health and fitness plays in my life: Fitness is a grounding force in my life; it helps me reset and refocus and take into perspective what really matters, which is my health and happiness.

Health memberships: A subscription to the Simple Habit Meditation app, which I pay $11.99 per month to use. My husband, Peter, and I also practice yoga using the Asana Rebel app ($49 per year), and it’s a great way to stretch out or do quick five to 15-minute sessions when we need to roll out our muscles.

Sunday

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

7 a.m. — Why can’t I sleep past 7 a.m.? I finish drinking the liter bottle of water I opened last night and hop out of bed to practice five-minute yoga on the Asana Rebel app with my husband. He’s way more into yoga than I am, and I find myself drifting once or twice.

7:30 a.m. — COFFEE. I grind up some beans from Good Karma and drink a cup from our French press. I’m not a big breakfast person and prefer working out on an empty stomach in the morning. Peter and I then walk our dog, Bobo.

8:15 a.m. — I walk into SoulCycle for Elysse’s 8:30 class ($26). SoulCycle is an amazing stress-reliever and something of a therapy for me. Sometimes I ride entire songs with my eyes closed, just feeling the energy and the sweat, and I come out completely refreshed, 100-percent of the time.

9:15 a.m. — Drenched in sweat and exhilarated, I rush over to SLT for a 9:30 with Denita ($26).

10:20 a.m. —  I shakily scrape myself off the Megaformer after a 50-minute class. I somehow manage to drink all my water, and then I stop into Konditori on 17th street and Chestnut for a post-workout coffee ($2.99).

10:45 a.m. — Home. I peel off my sweaty clothes into an ever-teetering pile of laundry that I try not to make eye contact with. Shower.

11 a.m. — I make vegetarian tacos (tofu-soyrizo scramble on a tortilla with some avocados) and drink a giant glass of lemon water for brunch.

11:30 a.m. — In my office, I attempt to bang out some content for a presentation I’m giving in two weeks. I contemplate another cup of coffee, but I swear my cat’s looking at me like, Really?, so I have half a bottle of iced Joe Tea ($0.98)

2 p.m. — I can’t stare at the screen anymore, so I decide to start prepping dinner and veggies for the week.

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

3 p.m. — I’ve got about a pound of bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, and celery all cleaned and sliced into portions for both snacking and cooking. I need a nap.

3:30 p.m. — Back to work!

6:30 p.m. — Work done, another liter of water down the hatch. Dinner is an anchovy-based sauce over an eggplant stack and a whipped-goat-cheese-topped cauliflower.

Daily total: $55.97

Monday

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

6 a.m. — Wake up.

6:30 a.m. — Shower, let the dog out, COFFEE. I have an odd relationship with coffee. Sometimes I’ll drink five-plus cups a day, or I won’t drink any at all. This morning, I grind up some beans from Good Karma and drink a cup of French press.

7 a.m. — Quick walk over to 30th Street Station to catch the Amtrak to New York. I’m in NYC at least four times a month.

7:20 a.m. — I work on the train. I drink more (free) coffee at the office, then I’m in meetings.

10:13 a.m. — In desperate need of a snack. I walk to Bluestone Lane near the office and get an avocado smash with a poached egg and a black coffee ($21.50).

11:45 a.m. — I turn to Seamless for lunch options. I order a turkey wrap with lettuce instead the tortilla wrap and a bag of fruit chips from Frame (free, thanks to work).

4:45 p.m. — Last meeting is done. Customer and sales rep asks if I want to join them for drinks, but I decide I need to sweat it out. I pack up my bag and run to SoulCycle ($34).

6:25 p.m. — I feel awesome. Sweaty and gross, but awesome. I decide to walk to Penn Station. On the way, I stop at E-Mo in Koreatown and grab spicy tuna kimbap (Korean seaweed rolls) to munch on the train home ($13.52).

7:20 p.m. — Ride the Acela back to Philly.

9:10 p.m. —  Home. My husband, the saint, has a vesper and gouda waiting for me, so I eat a little of that before I do my nightly routine of lying in bed with a notebook. I like to center myself for the next morning by writing down the things, both work and non-work related, and prioritizing.

10:30 p.m. — List done, meditation app on, I doze off.

Daily total: $69.02

Tuesday

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

5:45 a.m. — Today’s the first day I felt that I could actually sleep in. But I’m scared/in love with my SLT instructors so I push the cat off me, drag myself out of bed, and force myself to drink some of the coffee. I let my dog out, then off to SLT it is.

7:30 a.m. — Ever been punched in the gut while someone is trying to use your abs to squeeze oranges really hard? That’s what that last class felt like ($26).

8 a.m. — Shower, then time for emails. I drink some more coffee and open my laptop.

11:30 a.m. — I can’t look at emails or answer phone calls anymore, so I walk over to Pure Barre. Today, class is full of all the old regulars, so the instructor tortures us. During stretch, it feels euphoric and I’m grateful for the sweat ($23).

1 p.m. — Walking the dog, I get a panicked phone call that sends me into office mode. I run home and chomp on celery and carrots while I work.

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

3:30 p.m. — I realize it’s 3:30 and I haven’t eaten anything. Problem is, the calls keep coming. Only thing at hand is a bunch of Sugarfina champagne gummies, so I have about a 100 of those (really great diet, I know).

4:30 p.m. — I use Instacart to order a bunch of food from Whole Foods ($53.12).

6 p.m. — Groceries arrive. I’m making Beef Taco Skillet from Live, Laugh, Yum! I throw the ingredients in together and stick it in the oven. I also make an Old Fashioned cocktail.

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

7 p.m. — Peter walks in the door bearing a slice of cake from Di Bruno Bros. Did I mention this man is a saint? We eat the skillet dish with some freshly sliced avocado and onions. I pair mine with a Daisy Cutter IPA.

9:10 p.m. — After doing my priority list, we watch old episodes of The Simpsons.

11 p.m. — Lights out, eye mask on, meditation app on, sleep.

Daily total: $102.12

Wednesday

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

8 a.m. — This morning isn’t too insane, so I decide to make breakfast until I have to answer emails. I make a four-egg feta cheese omelet, sprinkle some curry powder, and have that with half an avocado and some cherry tomatoes. I drink more of the Good Karma coffee. My husband turns on Asana Rebel app for a 45-minute yoga session, but I have to stop after 20 minutes to take a customer call.

9:30 a.m. — I drink some more coffee. Interesting aspect of being a software sales engineer is that there are times when it’s non-stop fire drills, but there are lulls when I’m free to go work out, make a complicated dinner, or go shopping.

10 a.m. — Starting the day with Pure Barre sounds like a good idea ($23). Halfway through the warm up, I find myself wishing for tequila.

11 a.m. — I hop over to Di Bruno’s for an unsweetened matcha latte ($4.99).

12:10 p.m. — My inbox is not full of emails that begin with “I NEED YOU NOW!!” so I pick up my dog and we go for a stroll. I can’t resist the pull of the Bakeshop on 20th, so I go in and get a ricotta cookie for me and a brookie for Peter ($6.50).

12:30 p.m. — I’m not all that hungry, so I decide to power through until dinner.

2:30 p.m. — I’m crashing a little bit and reach for my Sugarfina champagne gummies. I have a minor but persistent addiction to the damn things and will buy them in five-pound bags. They’re sitting on my desk next to a bunch of Girl Scout cookies. I munch on ten of the delicious little things while mowing through emails

3:30 p.m. — The afternoon crash is real. Rather than reach for more gummies, I take the dog for a walk around the block.

4:30 p.m. — I cave. Three Thin Mints down the hatch.

5:45 p.m. — Emails done, work done. I turn on Asana Rebel and do a quick five-minute stretch in the kitchen.

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

5:50 p.m. — Time for salad assembly. I’m making a warm steak salad with the veggies in my fridge that are crying for help.

6:30 p.m. — I drink a sauvignon blanc.

7 p.m. — Dinner is awesome.

8 p.m. — More Simpsons. I drink a glass of Widow Jane bourbon neat.

9 p.m. — Bed. Notebook. Cat. I open a bottle of sparkling water and drink half a liter before I find myself wanting another Thin Mint. Time to sleep instead.

Daily total: $34.49

Thursday

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

5 a.m. — All that sugar from the day before isn’t helping. I wake up, finish my water, and get dressed for SoulCycle.

6 a.m. — I’m both euphoric and suffering in Ryan Lewis’ class ($26).

7 a.m. — Feeling super light after the sprints and the runs, I treat myself to a Buzzed smoothie at Sip-n-Glo ($9). The coffee hit is just what I need.

7:30 a.m. — I get home and eat some leftover salad while drinking coffee. I answer emails for a bit.

8:30 a.m. — I drag myself to SLT and plop on a machine ($26).

10 a.m. — Back home, I put in a load of laundry. I bought this sports-specific detergent from Amazon called Rockin’ Green Active Wear. I mix a spoonful into the detergent, and the clothes come out smelling super fresh.

10:30 a.m. — Work and coffee.

1:30 p.m. — I’m craving carbs but I opt for Shirataki noodles with kimchi, sesame seed oil, a poached egg, dried peppers, and pollack roe. I pair that with some avocado and about two liters of water.

2:30 p.m. — Back to work. I’m dying for a Diet Coke, but I remember the Girl Scout cookies and decide to have one Thin Mint.

3:40 p.m. — Four thin mints and 12 emails later, I’m feeling pretty guilty.

5 p.m. — Done working, I order a bottle of Curator Cab Sauvignon from Quick Sip ($0, thanks to a gift card).

5:55 p.m. — My wine arrives in record time, as I’m making a chicken and lemon caper dish.

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

6:30 p.m. — Peter walks in, and we have some cheese, I drink a cabernet, and we dig in to dinner.

7:30 p.m. — I have a lot of work to do, so I go back to my desk  few more hours. I finish the last of my wine and another handful of gummy bears.

10 p.m. — Bedtime.

Daily total: $61

Friday

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

8 a.m. — I make coffee and answer phone calls. No breakfast for me today.

10 a.m. — Pure Barre time. Alisyn kills me, and I’m wobbling as I walk out of class ($23).

11 a.m. — I check emails while sitting at Bluestone Lane with a macha latte and an avocado smash with a poached egg ($21.50).

12:15 p.m. — At SoulCycle, Denita has the whole class rapping to Bodak Yellow by the end of class and I feel awesome walking out ($26).

1:30 p.m. — I walk the dog, and we split some strawberries and blueberries for lunch.

5 p.m. — FINALLY. I’m too wiped to make or cook anything, so I turn to Caviar and order an Arizona roll with brown rice and korokke from Fuji Mountain. I also love a good sip of tequila — Herradura silver is my favorite. ($35.01)

6:30 p.m. — Bad idea. I’m drunk.

7 p.m. — Somehow we have the great idea to eat gummy bears. The rest of the night is a bit of a blur.

Daily total: $82.51

Saturday

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

8 a.m. — I wake up somewhat blurry eyed. Did I bring gummy bears into bed with me?

8:15 a.m. — I feel human after a shower and a large coffee. We do a little bit of yoga before heading off to our respective workouts. I hit SoulCycle again ($26).

9:30 a.m. — Soul done, sweat dripping, I go to my husband’s office for a cup of coffee.

10:30 a.m. — I decide to go to SLT, where my girl Denita is CRUSHING her class ($26).

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

11:30 a.m. — I crawl out of class and meet Peter for a quick bite at Bluestone Lane. We split an egg dish and a black coffee.

1 p.m. — At home, I do a load of laundry and write a list of all the groceries we need for the week.

4 p.m. — Time for champagne. I sip on a glass while I answer some emails.

Photograph courtesy Hee Jin Cho.

6 p.m. — Peter and I walk to Double Knot, where we have Kobe beef hot dogs, uni rolls, duck scrapple, and a crispy tuna appetizer. We also have one cocktail each ($85.50).

8 p.m. — We walk home and stop for gelato at Gran Caffe L’Aquila.

10 p.m. — In bed with a book. I drift off with the meditation app.

Daily total: $137.50

Weekly Totals

Money spent: $542.61

SLT classes: 4

SoulCycle classes: 5

Pure Barre classes: 3

Yoga sessions: 3

Cups of coffee: 16

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