Bed time

Hard to say no when your side's already prewarmed...


...too bad it also smells like dog farts...

Last Leg

You know that part of the run where you're exhausted but it's still 5 miles to your car and if you don't keep running it's just going to take longer to get back so you keep going but your mind has completely shut off and it's just one foot in front of the other until you get to your car and realize you left your keys somewhere around the time your vision got all blurry?

That's about how my week's feeling. Sorry for the lack of posting. I'm just a little swamped right now.

New Home!

I have a home! I officially start teaching the 5:30 AM class on Thursdays at the Hooksett branch of EHSC! If I can get my butt out of bed that early, anyone can!

Who's gonna come to zombie  early morning spin??

Music

I find it very difficult to work out if I don't have some kind of music cranking through my head. Partly I like the beat to keep me moving, but a good chunk of it is a feeling of relative anonymity that it gives me. When I put headphones in, it's like putting on sun glasses...if you can't see my eyes, you can't see me. Yes, I honestly feel less socially vulnerable with headphones and/or sunglasses on. It's like that kid from Big Daddy. Whose picture I can't find at all, with sunglasses on. Poo.

Anyway, all that to say that music is a personal thing. I'm the first to admit that my taste in music hasn't changed a whole lot since I hit puberty 15+ years ago...I still listen to the radio stations that claim to be a "mix" station but really play the same 15 or so songs over and over. I watch Glee (mostly) for the music. I (don't judge me) even kind of like Ke$ha, in spite of my better judgment. I have no excuses and I make no apologies. It's catchy and it's popular because I'm not the only one who likes this trash. I know full well that it's not "good" music and there's no depth to it, but I enjoy it anyway.

This is what freaks me out the most about putting together a group ex class...in the end, I pick music that I like. Not because I'm being cool and trying to like eclectic stuff (I don't), but because, quit frankly, I have a narrow range of stuff I'd consider "workout music".  I'm picky about my trashy music...what?

So when I put together profiles (like last week's) that are built around music that I LOVE, I get a little nervous and feel a little vulnerable. I find myself explaining to the class why I picked certain songs ("this one's from Bend It Like Beckham!") or why liking Ke$ha and being an intelligent woman are not mutually exclusive.

Invariably though, I wind up with mad props for my music selection. Last week, one of the riders told me she'd felt amped up from the start to the finish, which was unusual for her. Loves it. :-)

Squee!

This right here is going to make me bankrupt. But at least my house will be pretty. :D



Other things thatve happened recently:


My stapler broke. I didn't do it. Office crimes are rampant.



We have a screen door! It's so nice. Before:


Nick did good. I was no help on this one.



I did pretty good on the GRE. 80th percentile or above on both sections, but we'll see about the writing.

Also, the fat kitty has brought me 2 different dead birds. I won't post pics, but he's so proud of himself...all I can see is blood on his mouth, even if there is none.

I took pics of this morning's workout, but they're on the camera so I'll have to post them later. I'm teaching spin tonight...will post the profile as soon as it's ready!

More Workout Pics

Thursday morning I got to the gym about an hour early, to start practicing my routine for the strength classes I'm going to be teaching soon. How soon? Tuesday. That's how soon. I won't be teaching the whole class on Tuesday, but I'll be teaching half and then after that...I jump in with both feet flailing.

(On that note, anyone in the Boston area want to go sky diving with me? There's a groupon for $149 today...)

At first I thought I'd do a bunch of stuff with the ball.

Single leg squats.

Turns out, these are MUCH harder with the ball. Like, seriously couldn't even handle myself harder. Not that just free standing ones are particularly easy, either. My butt hurts today.

Then chest presses.

Check out that form! But not the butt. Gravity does me no favors. Junk in the trunk dun sunk.

In the end, I wound up with 3 sets of exercises:

Single leg squats -> Shoulder presses -> Single leg squats WITH shoulder presses.
Alternating lunges -> Shoulder shapers -> Alternating lunges WITH shoulder shapers.
Squats -> Cuban presses -> Squats WITH Cuban presses.

Totally hadn't even thought of using a bar with that last one until I found that video. Totally going to use that. For Tuesday I'm actually only doing the first and third circuits, so I think I'll have us use a body bar instead of dumbbells. Winnah!!

The Cuban presses I really like because they're strictly a rotator cuff exercise, which is a commonly injured area.

Oh crap. Speaking of injuries, I just realized Tuesday night is a night class, which means this one woman will be there. I don't know what her story is, but she's very outspoken and opinionated...especially about fan placement. I don't dislike her or anything, but she's definitely someone who was a popular girl in high school...and girls like that still make me wary.

Testing

Trying to find a good app for blogging from my phone. Anyone got suggestions?

Im on an android phone and all i want is to be able to post multiple pictures in one post...not at the END of the post, within it. Anyone?

Testing

Trying something out.

Where's the picture going?

And the other one?

Interpretive Intervals

I'm calling tonight's class "Interpretive Intervals". It sort of toes the strength/interval line I think, at least as written, but in execution I think it'll be pretty strong. First profile I've made completely from scratch, so we'll see how it goes...I did it backwards this time - I found songs I liked, put them in an order I liked, then added moves to them as the songs dictated.

Working out at work

Aside from the occasional bathroom squats (that's not as dirty as it sounds...I really did do 200 squats in the bathroom the other day, just to see if I could. I can.), it's actually not at all easy to get your blood pumping during the day, especially if you work in the sedentary tech industry like I do. To remedy that, I've started looking at alternatives to sitting still and have come across a few things that might do the trick.

Like this.

Seriously, does this not look kind of like playground equipment? I've been debating getting a ball to sit on at work, but I do WAY too much gossiping around the corner (which requires wheels on my chair) to make that work. This little setup might work though! Too bad the price tag is a touch prohibitive. Anyone want me to do a review of these? :-D Oooh, this one has arms!

The other option I'm considering is this thing. Every review says "this is great, my 90 year old grandmother loves it!" You know what? I want to be 90 someday, so I think getting a little extra cardio during the day (not 75% MHR cardio, but maybe it'll be easier to get to 60% for a few minutes an hour with this) would be ideal.

Nothing spectacular, but it's like $23 and will get my legs moving during the day. Anyone used one of these before at work? Thoughts?

Gettin with the times!

Check me out kids! Now, if you choose to view my blog from your portable, internet capable cellular device, it's way easier to read! Try it! Hooray for the new blogger!!

Brain leaks

Not much to report here. Studying my butt off, trying to keep on top of classes. I've got 4 (yes, 4...I'm taking 4 classes) exams due this weekend, AND the GRE. So, you know, my brain's a little fried. I haven't been this completely maxed out since college, but for some reason this is different. I'm finding myself *wanting* to study, which is...foreign. I was always one of those students who got reasonably good grades without much effort. We called it the 80/20 principle...put in 20% effort, get 80% credit. That last 20% is going to take 80% effort, so why bother?

Anyway, I'm studying. Hard. I even have flash cards I bring with me to lunch (alone) and dinner (with hubs).  He studies with me by laughing at big words and telling me which ones he missed on his GRE last month.

My trainer cancelled, so I didn't get to do my animal workout the other night. I'll get pics next week, promise. I hope.

At the grocery store the other night, I saw this. Awesome.

Also, in case you ever wonder why I don't have a fabulous garden like everyone else in the goram world, this is why:

I kill things with roots. All of them. No joke, I put this rose there 3 minutes before this picture. It was beautiful and smelled lovely. Then, no lie, I looked at it for a while. And the petals fell off. I can't win.

Also, this new blogger layout...wtf?

What's your weekend looking like? I'm shirking cleaning duties to make my dreams happen.

Jumping Joses

You know what's a bad idea? Jumping jacks post Mexican food. Oogh.

In other news, I have my routine for tomorrow laid out in my head. I'm going to get there early to practice it a bit, but it's going to be hilarious and fun. The theme is animals and the moves I've got are:

Flamingo squats

Crane presses

Pushmepullyous

and

Predator/Prey.

I promise, there will be pictures. One way or another, there will be pictures. The pushmepullyous might take some doing to get pictures of, but they're going to rock your world, I promise. Definitely not an office workout maneuver though.

Back to anatomy.

Some life lessons

Lesson #1: Appreciate good pictures of yourself. My butt never looks this good when I'm not airborne. I'll take it.

This is the shot I was really trying to get. Jumping jacks for the Bachelorette Booty Camp. Which I still haven't completed. Looks like lunch today is going to get ugly. For those of you counting (who might not have done your booty camp routine either, here's what's on the docket:

115 push ups

45 jumping jacks
25 crunches

20 lunges

10 tricep dips

95 curls

5 burpees

Woo, go me!

Lesson #2: Read labels.

Did you know that on the label of dishwasher detergent it says "avoid contact with fabric...may bleach"??  Yeah, I didn't either. So when I sprayed detergent EVERYWHERE the other day and the paper towels were nowhere to be found, I grabbed a dirty washcloth and wiped it up.

And then this. I mean, it's pretty but...geesh.  So guys...don't clean up dish detergent with fabric you like.


Lesson #3: If the knobs aren't turning, the breadmaker isn't kneading it. Seriously.

This was destined for greatness. Italian herb bread...basil, oregano, olive oil, parmesean...YUM. I mixed stuff up a bit because I didn't think the kneading knobs were turning. They weren't. But it still rose and stuff, then baked and stuff. This is the bottom of it. Those big gashes are from digging out the kneading knobs like they were shrapnel. The white is unmixed flour. I ate some and it tasted ok. The dog ate some and got sick the next day. You do the math.

So that's what I've got.

Coworker and I did Bob Harper's Bootcamp DVD yesterday morning. It was meh. I like Jillian's workouts better I guess. Maybe the other levels will be harder, I don't know. The whole thing seemed like they never rehearsed, and for crying out loud he did a bunch of stuff on one leg then NEVER DID THE OTHER LEG! Basic group ex 101 here, folks! And it was a DVD, so they had time to edit it, and that crap still got through! If it's in a clearance bin, it's not bad. Wouldn't pay full price for it again though. Grumble grumble.

What's your favorite workout DVD? 
Are you as life-challenged as I am? How? 

This week...

...is already making me feel like this.

Yup. Definitely wishing I'd spent more time reading this weekend. 9 hours just wasn't enough.

Seriously, I'm studying

But seriously, how do you not smirk at these illustrations??

Testing

Giving this app another chance

Whoops

Turns out the GRE is NEXT weekend. Oops.

Here's a giggle for you, so I can pretend you're laughing at this, not my silliness.

It's raining and I don't wanna drive up to the gym (even though my stuff has been there for 3 nights now...) so I'll do a DVD at some point (maybe bootcamp?) and feel better about last night's debacle.

Back to studying.

Weekend plans

Did bob harper's yoga dvd with a coworker in a conference room this morning. She wouldn't let me take pics so you get a picture of bob.




Rawr.

Tomorrow I'm going to hit up spin then strength, to make up for the ungodly amount of food I ate tonight. Yikes.



Course #1...of 4. Yummy.

I'm also taking the GRE on Sunday (yay) since the last time I took it was over 5 years ago. Womp womp. Got 2 other exams to take this weekend too, so...that's fun.

Anyway, have a great weekend! What are your plans??

Cell Biology - WTF!

Classes have started, huzzah! Unfortunately, that probably means sparser/more spastic posts for a bit. Sorry in advance.

But a few things.

First, cell biology. Wtf.

Seriously guys, wrap your head around this. Your body isn't one piece...you are literally TRILLIONS of TINY LIVING THINGS that somehow manage to work together to make a sentient, UNIQUE being. Every finger print is really thousands of these tiny little LIVING things doing their crazy little dances to make sure you can't commit a crime and get away with it (at least not without using their buddies up in your brain to figure out how to hide the evidence).

If that doesn't make you feel just a little creepy, I don't know what will.

This weekend I read the whole chapter on cell bio, and by the end I was apologizing to my cells for giving them crap (aka McD's, etc) to live on. They're so delicate and fragile, and I'm responsible for their livelihoods and I have a hard time providing them with enough water. Good lord, I'm going to be a terrible mother someday. I won't even start on the absolute INSANITY of how a single cell somehow magically becomes an entire freaking baby. I mean, seriously. Woah.

Suffice it to say, I've eaten my veggies every day this week and have had exactly ONE diet Coke (and 3-4 bottles of water a day). Poor cells...I'm sorry little buddies!

---

In other news, I'm subbing for spin on the 23rd at 5:30.  If you're in the area, come to class! I have exactly nothing figured out, but I'm sure it'll be a scorcher.

---

Tomorrow I'm supposed to be running through my warmup routine with Sharon. Guess I should get on practicing that, since flailing around doesn't happen by itself. I'll probably get there at like 7, to get my groove on. Or something like that.

---

Tonight I'll probably do Rose's Bachelorette Booty Camp between homework and lab assignments. I'll probably have to wait until...August...to watch the show. Sigh. That'll look something like this: 

50 push ups
10 jumping jacks
5 crunches
10 lunges

20 push ups
5 tricep dips
20 jumping jacks
5 curls
5 crunches

10 jumping jacks
10 crunches
30 curls

30 push ups
5 burpees
30 curls
10 lunges

15 push ups
5 tricep dips
5 jumping jacks
5 crunches
30 curls


Totals:

115 push ups
45 jumping jacks
25 crunches
20 lunges
10 tricep dips
95 curls
5 burpees

Oh dear. Maybe this'll get some pictures, who knows.

Quick Post

I'll probably have more to say later, but for now I wanted to share how AWESOME my weekend was.

I got dressed up:

And then I FED A FREAKING GIRAFFE!!!

I learned that tortoises like strawberries...

...and then I fed Kronk some strawberries!!

Great great weekend, but I'm whooped and work is busy so I'll have to post more later. Congrats to Anna and Jared (isn't she gorgeous??)!!

Warm It Up

So this morning I had another training session with my mentor, to be able to teach strength/bootcamp classes at my gym. It went really well.

She'd asked me to come up with a warm up routine to show her...I...flailed around some. Marched in place. Didn't really know what the heck I was doing, but did it with a smile and braced myself for the eye rolling.

You know what happened next?

She didn't roll her eyes. 


You read that right. I, white girl extraordinnaire, in capable of keeping a rhythm even when electrically shocked to a beat, did not get an eye roll from a woman who's been teaching this stuff for over 15 years. I respect the hell out of this woman, and got embarrassingly panicky last night when I realized I really had no idea how to come up with a freaking warmup. Seriously. Lame.

But, after flailing around a bit, she said "ok, why don't we start with marching and go from there. What other moves did you want in there?" And we built a pretty solid warmup. God bless her, she patiently took me through the whole thing, explaining transitions and how to make sure everyone can keep up with what I'm doing. (It's cute that she thought I could keep up with what I was doing.)

In any case, here's my new (trademark pending) warmup routine for strength/bootcamp:

March in place.

For extra challenge, lift your knees higher!

Single side step.

For extra challenge, add the arms!

Double side step.

Grapevine.

I know grapevines are one of those things that you either love or hate...I love them. They're one of the few things that look like a cartoon dance, that I can actually do with out falling, 9 times out of 10. 

Grapevine with hamstring curl.

You'll notice my hamstring curls got silly, and quick.

Hamstring curl.

V step.

Out, out, in, in. Boom.

Wide step.

Like the march, but wider. 

Squat.

Keep your arms in front, to force your butt back, to make sure you have good form. 

Knees shouldn't go past your toes - save your knees. Squats can be half squats at  this point.  

Back Stretch.

I can also throw in some arm movements, to warm those up:

I got lazy with the picture sizes, sorry.

So that's it.  Class, you are now warmed up and ready to get bootcamped. Huzzah!

Next week, I need to lead her in that, then I'll probably teach half a class, then I'm (gulp) on my own! Fun stuff!

What are your favorite group ex moves (minimal choreo, please)? 
What are your favorite songs in group ex classes?