i HEART spin class

Pretty much insane, I am hooked. At times I was rocking to the music, at times I thought I was going to puke all over the place, and at times I thought that my bad knee was going to explode. Most importantly, I made it through and can't wait to get back.

momentum

It seems like I have one great week followed by one totally crappy week, when it comes to working out. I have yet to discover the reasoning, but it is kind of frustrating. This week, I have been having some health problems which have lead to a total disinterest of going to the gym. I have not been to Zumba in 2 weeks now, and I am not extremely excited about that fact. Because of me being under the weather, we have been out to eat more than normal. Blech. Hate that fast-food feeling.

So I am going to turn things around tomorrow and head to the gym twice to try to kick start my enthusiasm again. Went last night and swam some laps; my head wasn't really in it because of some devistating news that I had gotten an hour earlier. Better tomorrow..

Process

This whole working-out, getting back into shape thing is such a long term process that sometimes it is really overwhelming. Didnt make it to the gym on Friday, but did manage to attempt a pilates DVD at home assisted by my 2 monsters. Friday night was my last hip hop class and it was totally killer. I am still sore from several quick trips to the floor that the choreography required. Saturday I skipped out again to go get my hair done. And I must say that it was a way better choice for the day. In liu of making daily gym trips, I am trying really hard to eat healthy to help promote weight loss. Not that it works every day... or anyday, but at least I am making conscience decisions to eat cookies.

I am starting to feel a little hint of my old dancer body returning. While teaching, I am able to connect with my pelvic shelf and feel my core engage in a way that I haven't felt in YEARS. Its a great feeling and reassurance that I am heading in the right direction..

consequences

Pilates tonight? Awesome. Didn't quite make it to yoga this morning; I was sleeping in my nice comfy bed. I am learning that there are consequences of being a slacker face and eating extremely horrible food for over a week. I made myself weigh in today and I am up 3 pounds. Total suckage. We are swearing off late night cookie runs. Hopefully that, along with having a week off of work next week, will help me get back on track...


total weight loss: 12.5 lbs

Slacker Face

To make up for missing 3 workout days in a row, I am attempting to go to Yoga AND Pilates tomorrow. With many hours inbetween. So I don't die. I found out that I am going to be in a dance competition in about 7 months. So now I have a goal to look good and be in shape by then. I am so not excited to weigh in tomorrow. No more slacker-face for me.

Sore Dissapointment

I felt like my muscles were going to explode the morning after taking shadow boxing. It was thus decided that a nice yoga class would be the right workout to help remedy the situation. The class was awesome, but today I am once again barely walking. I am thinking that this is going to be my rest day.

In other news, the Zumba training is now sold out before I got registered. I am pretty much depressed about it.

Week's Review

This week's health conscience activities have included:

Swimming Laps: I am always glad that I have the skill-set to swim laps. Thank you impromptu joining of the high school swim team so many years ago. A swim suit and goggles are the bare essentials of this activity, and you can pretty much pack those anywhere. I swam about 15 laps in 25 minutes, which is pretty sucky slow, but it was pretty much a rough day and just felt good to move.

Zumba: Still a favorite. Now that I most likely am going to become a Zumba teacher, I have been studying the teacher's methods and deciding what to incorporate into my teaching. This week the class went very fast and I like to think its because I am getting so toned.

Yoga...oops nope Swimming Laps: Good thing I have those swimming bare essentials in my gym bag because when I showed up at the gym in flip flops and with yoga mat, I was informed that the class had been cancelled. Decided to swim instead, and it was glorious. I went a lot faster this time, doing 30 laps in about 20 minutes. I was really feeling the burn in my arms by the end.

Pilates: This class was the typical laying-on-the-floor-burning-the-core type class I was hoping for. And my core did burn by the first 7 minutes. So did my hip flexors, thighs, rotators, butt, and hanstrings. It was crazy hard and awesomely good-feeling all at the same time.

Hip Hop: Week 3 of hip hop has me feeling a lot more comfortable with the routine and finding my non-ballering-gangsta self. Of course, I still look like a ballerina trying to be cool. And the teacher made fun of me multiple times for just that. But it was awesome. I am just a bit sad that I most likely will not be able to continue this in the fall. The class time becomes awfully inconvienent, so next week might be the end for a while.

Cardio Shadow Boxing: This class killed me. Alternating 6 minute sets of cardio and boxing. My first time impressions of this class is that it was crazy hard (I was pouring sweat head to toe) but maybe not the format that best fits me. There was music playing and we did the cardio sections to the music, but the boxing sets were completely against the music; I had a very hard time handling that. I might try the class again, but wont be heart broken if it never happens.

So overall, its been a pretty decent active week. And I am tired and very much sore all over and it feels wonderful. I weighed in this morning and am up +2lbs. ARG! But I am hoping heavier shoes and clothes factors in and hopefully I am still even with last weeks weight. Hopefully.

Feeling Kindof Blah

I have had a very distinct lack of motivation for, well everything, the last few days. The house is a disaster, I have been feeling exhausted and just kind of blah. Pairing that with the daily nausea I have been experiencing lately can lead a girl to certain fearful conclusions. But I am almost 99% certain its not that...

Anyways, I made myself go to the gym today for Yoga class. It was a sub-teacher; the same one I didnt like from before, in fact. But I made myself go and it felt pretty good, in a tired and sore kind of way.

No more junk food, left over birthday cake, pizza nights, and late night snack runs. There has been enough this week to last a year.

Killer Pilates and a Few..

I think that the gym pilates teacher decided to punish me this morning for having to walk out last night. I think that she sat up all night thinking about what exercizes to do that would make me want to curl into a ball and cry because I almost died this morning. Total focus on hip flexors (which were already sore from teaching this week), butt, obliques, and Quads/hamstrings. Pretty much all my weak spots; well everything is a weak spot these days, but anyhow. In short, it was a killer 60 minutes of pain and near death.

In consolation of working hard and being super hungry after class, I might have stopped on the way home to get some 'creamy spinach dip'. Just might have; it's more healthy than other dips right? Then I might have eaten just a bit more than the 2 tablespoon serving size. And I might have eaten enough that I was no longer hungry for my planned lunch of leftover lasagne with healthy homemade sauce and lowfat cheese. Just maybe. I guess you win some, you loose some, right?

Frustrating

I have been to the gym 3 days this week. All 3 days I walked into the group class; and 2 of those days (including tonight) I got called out by the Kids Club 10 minutes into class because I had screaming children that would not placify. Its been a very frustrating week. Especially since both classes that got cut short were turning out to be awesome classes. I guess we will have to try again tomorrow.

Tomorrow happens to be Pilates/teach dance/Hip Hop day, so it should be pretty killer.

And by the way... that 10 minutes I spent on my new awesome Yoga mat was pretty much bliss... awesomeness!

On the plus side, I weighed in today and lost another 1.5 pounds! Bet it could have been more if I had actually gone to class...


Total Weight Loss: 15.5 pounds

Zumba Zumba

Exciting news of the week:

My studio owner's want to have me certify in ZUMBA so I can teach for them! Yah exciting huh? I am pretty much so super stoked about it. I have heard many great things about becoming a Zumba teacher, so I am hoping all works out great. I am pretty sure that the pounds would start shedding off it I was actually teaching the class a few times a week.

In other news:

I got bought a real live yoga mat so when I go to yoga and pilates class I dont slip and die (or die of wierd infectious diseases from sharing gym mats). I am pretty excited to get to try it out in class; that is, if my kids are ever not sick...

Feel the Burn

My sister has decided that she wants to be a hip hop dancer; and of course, she is dragging me into it. After scoping out the hip hop classes at the dance studio we both teach at, she finally found one that looked like it could be at our level and talked me into going with her. She gave me no preface of the class, but, with us both being classically trained dancers and not naturally inclined towards this style, I assumed it would not be the advanced class.

I geared up, got all excited, and walked into... the little kid beginning class. Well long story short, the class was exactly our level. And it was one of the best workouts I've had all month. We learned a routine that was exceptionally challenging for me; I pretty much looked like an elephant ballerina trying to be tough doing hip hop. We documented the experience on my sis's Flip, but it is yet to be determined whether this should ever be released to the world wide web.

After all was said and done, I had a pretty exhausting day after a 60 min Power Pilates class, teaching 2 hours of ballet, followed by hip hop.

Gym Classes

I am not a very socially adventurous person. I am pretty much your naturally shy wallflower who would rather just not go to the party. When it comes to excercising at the gym I am most comfortable walking on a treadmill or using an eliptical machine, with my headphones on, in my own world. Recently I have been looking for a greater/different challenge with my workouts, and have decided to be brave and try out some of the group classes...

Zumba- was the first class that I attended and probably most within my comfort zone. It is pretty much a kick-ass combo of cardio aerobics and Latin dance. This 60 minute class seriously gets my heart going and I am drenched in sweat by the end... LOVE it.

Yoga- I have only been to yoga once. I took a whole semester of yoga while I was preggers in college. This class didn't really compare. In fact, it was so bad that 1/2 of the class walked out.. very rudely. But it was a sub teacher, so I should probably try it again.

Pilates- Today was my first time trying out this class. My sister is an awesome Pilates teacher, so I figure I should be a bit more knowledgeable about the subject. It was a fusion class like Power Pilates or Pilates Sculpt or something like that, so we used little 2.5 pound handweight throughout. It was a really great class and I think I will be back there next week.

All of these classes have been a nice change-up to my regular treadmill training. I have definitely concluded, though, that I REALLY need to invest in my own yoga mat. Not only are the generic gym ones too short for me and super slippery, but can we just say... GROSS. So I think I will be making a Ross (ya people, ahem sis, don't pay full price for fitness stuff) run before I attempt a mat class again..

As for some of the classes that I will someday be brave enough to try... some sort of gym Dance class. I have never been to one, but have mixed opinions being a dancer, so I will have to test it out. I also am thinking that one day I am going to be in shape enough to not die during a serious class like the cycling ones or powersculpt ones. But right now, I think I would pass out and die...


p.s. my weight loss to date is 14 pounds!

I Jazzercize

Serious Dancer turned gimpy newly married student; turned chubbo new mom; turned chubbo mom balancing family and 2 jobs; turned even more chubbo mom of 2...

This is an insite into my journey and fight back into fitness, healthy choices, weightloss, a more positive body image, and a happier healthier me.