Feel SPIN-tastic :)

Why should I try spinning? You ask...here are just a few of the many reasons:

*tightens and tones your butt and legs

*will work your heart muscle, making it stronger

*you can burn 1,000 calories in just 1 hour

*you're on your own bike, so progress at your own pace

*music based workouts make the hour fly by

*low impact (easy on your joints)

*natural endorphin boost

There is no better way to burn 700+ calories while doing a non-impact aerobic activity. Period. Spinning at least three times a week will make your heart and lungs healthier and more efficient. It will suck the first time you go...but the exercises you enjoy the least are usually the ones you need the most. Here are my spin tips to help a newbie become a regular:

1. WATER...you need a water bottle

2. towel...you won't believe how much you will sweat. I don't care if you are one who claims "I don't sweat" you will. You will..

3. Hard soled shoes...the bottom of your feet need a firm sole to press down on the pedals with, so put away those ballet slippers.

4. Hair pulled up, off the shoulders. There are few things more disgusting than the end of a ponytail sopping up the aforementioned sweat. off your neck and back...blech!

5. An easily digested meal about 1.5 hours before class (a banana with some almonds or peanut butter is best).

6. Make an honest attempt to attend two classes per week for at LEAST two weeks (preferably with different instructors, if possible) before you decide if you like it or not. It's amazing how different a class can feel just from having a different instructor...they each pick their own music and workouts.

HAVE FUN WITH IT!!!!

This looks like a job for....SUPERGIRL!

How do you go from a St. Anne's lady brunch to yoga with NO time to spare?? Strategic wardrobe planning, obviously ;) I wore my lululemon athletica top and pants underneath my cardigan and skirt! No need to spend time changing everything in the locker room...pop into a telephone booth, supergirl style, off with the cardi, off with the skirt and voila!! Ready for some vinyasa!!!

Ah, Glory Days!!

So training with those tennis kids was way more fun and way more challenging than I expected!! The plyometric portion was great, I had enough wind to yell some form correcting cues to the group as I was gracefully jumping myself into the anaerobic zone..LOL. The sprints? YIKES! I haven't actually done any sprinting since I sustained a stress fracture in my femur (July 2009). So why did I think I would be able to hang with 40 of the best teenage tennis athletes in the area? I think it goes back to why the bumble bee can fly--he may not be aerodynamically designed, but he doesn't know that so he just does it! I don't really know I'm 32 years old and have three kids and I'm not a college athlete anymore...so I just did it. I am paying for it today, but it was definitely worth it for two reasons:

#2. I am motivated and thrilled to add a sprint workout to my training routine (it's like reuniting with a long lost love...)

#1. The breakdown of some teenage "I'm too cool to show vulnerability" barriers was astonishing! Those kids are all really great kids and they are always personable with me, but last night I had SEVEN kids separately talk to me about their own personal fitness goals and if I would be willing to help them. All because they watched me suck wind after an 8minute session of intense sprinting!! I'm excited and feel incredibly lucky to watch these people attain their respective goals through their own hard work and dedication.

OH! Almost forgot...p90x protein bars (great to have if you can't be home to make a healthy meal) and p90x results and recovery drink (my absolute FAVORITE recovery drink) are on CLEARANCE!!! You can find them here: https://extranet.securefreedom.com/MillionDollarBody/csShopping/ShoppingCart.asp?Cat=Clearance|ALL

Fitness Fuel matters!!!

This is week one of my hormone training...sounds creepy, right?? ha ha! It's just another term for lactic acid training...high intensity training (or HITT), anaerobic training, yadda-yadda-yadda. The point is to push your muscles HARD to their limit, which results in lactic acid build-up--once your body starts it recovery process (eliminating the acid and repairing the muscle fibers) your body is turned into a fat burning machine. Diet is key for this type of training--I need 40% protein, 40% carb (from whole grains and/or fruits and veggies), and 20% fats an hour and half before my workout, and a protein recovery drink within 30minutes of finishing the workout. The pre-workout meal is important so I have the fuel to rev my engines LOL, and I can't have high fat or that will interfere with the lactic acid build up. My post workout recovery drink nourishes my poor twitching, spent muscles and helps them to recover. I use p90x smooth orange which you can buy here:https://extranet.securefreedom.com/MillionDollarBody/csShopping/ShoppingCart.asp?Cat=Nutrition%20and%20Supplements|P90X%20%20Nutrition

Monday was chest and triceps (for cardio I did the stepper for an hour), Tuesday was legs (for cardio I ran), yesterday was my rest day (only taught two classes LOL) and today I am going to lift shoulders and abs.

Shoulder workout: each exercise I'm doing 8-15reps 5-8 sets with only 15seconds of rest between sets

barbel overhead press

lateral raise with dumbells

alternating frontal raise with dumbells

upright row with barbell

Ab workout: side bends on the back hyper-extension machine (to failure*)

decline sit-ups 5 sets of 10-15 reps

hanging straight leg raises 5 sets of 10

*to failure means I do it until I can not possibly do another one with proper form

No mind clearing, stress burning, solo cardio workout for me today as I'm training my tennis kiddos (group of about 30-45 teenage athletes). Last week they complained that I always tell them what to do and I never do the workouts myself. I promised I'd workout with them this week. Little do they know that the 30seconds of plyometrics with 30seconds recovery that kicks their butts every week is a cake walk for me. If they want to workout with me, they will be doing a workout suited for me: 1minute of work, 20seconds of rest! That should learn 'em!! I hope they drank their shakeology smoothie today!! ha ha!!

Happy Friday Eve!!

Yay! Thursday is here!! After a day or so of thinking Gabe was just being dramatic, I am convinced his little foot really is hurting him, his cut is probably infected and we are going to see if the doctor agrees. Poor little man. He is always so tough. Just yesterday I bonked his head while settling him into his car seat.

"yikes! I'm sorry buddy!!" unfazed he took his little pruned thumb out of his mouth to say,

"no worries, Mom. My hair was actually already messed up." ha ha!!

"I meant sorry for hitting your head on the van, not for messing up your hair."

Bored with the whole conversation he shook his head and said, "don't you know I'm tough like Buzz Lightyear Mom? I didn't even feel it."

So after dropping Eliza off at school we will be heading to the doctors instead of the gym so I get to put on real people clothes!! Not that I don't love my gym clothes, but I've been dying to wear my new purple sweater from Boden!! Upon awakening to see me in a sweater Ava's face lit up, "Mom I love the feather petals on your shirt! You look beautiful! Are you going on a date?"

Yeah, Dad is out of town and I have a date...

"No Ava we're taking Gabe to the doctors."

Gabe immediately shot up from playing with his monster trucks, "what did you said!?"

"I think the cut on your foot is infected. We are going to have the doctor look at you and see if you need medicine."

He thought about this for at least ten seconds, "are you going to at least take me to old McDonald's afterwards for a treat or something?" nice try...

"no, buddy. We are going to head to the gym after." disappointed and confused he shook his head and said,

"so Mom, you are going to exercise in a sweater with petals and stuff??"

"no. We'll come home after the doctors and I'll change." I said, doubting the efficiency of my plan for the day.

"but that doesn't even make sense..you can even wear gym clothes to the doctors you know." Trying to get my husband to understand why living in gym sweats as a Mom is horrible for my self image is hard enough, I don't even want to try explaining this to a 4 year-old boy.

"just go with it, Buzz."

New Year's Gym Tourists!!

*picture of me in our new activity guide...just a regular Saturday for me, a soldier in the fight against childhood obesity..ha ha ha!!!*

Childcare was FULL this morning at the gym...that is when I KNOW it's January! Us gym rats know that we only have to wait until March before they all give up so we wait it out and complain to each other.

Not quite the first day of school...

Add another reason to my list of "why I'm NOT the perfect Mom." I have no photos of Elizabeth's first day of kindergarten. None. We didn't even make it to school on time. She was late. Sometimes I feel like apologizing to her, "I'm SO sorry you have me for a Mom!" Despite the numerous times my own incompetence has unfolded at her expense, she adores me. She tells me I'm the best Mama in the whole world with a strong squeezey-hug. And she means it!

So back to the first day of school SNAFU. It wasn't JUST the first day of school. It was my first day at work as a personal trainer. It was Erik's first day out of the country on some big project for work. It was also the first day of Gabe's vomiting and the first day Ava had diarrhea; the first day I had sobbed in a long time.

So the crumbled up, coffee-stained paper with all the kindergarten info on it said drop off was between 11:45 and noon. After pulling up to the school at 11:45 and seeing a deserted ghost town the familiar self-doubt creeped in. I actually drove around the school a bit before parking and going in. I carried the two stinky-sick-kids and had that "I was up all night with both of them" look in my eyes. We rang the school's doorbell and they let us in. I'm certain my genuine confusion and self doubt was obvious as I said/asked, "I'm here to drop Elizabeth off for kindergarten. My understanding is that drop-off is between 11:45 and noon?" Why do I always feel more like a student and less like an adult when inside a Catholic elementary school? The office lady did not make eye contact and said "that was my understanding too but it has somehow been changed to 11:30-11:45." Mild panic mixed with extreme annoyance crept in. So it wasn't totally my fault if even the office lady thought drop off time was later. Who changed it and how did all the other moms know? Where is this kindergarten classroom? I calmed myself down for Eliza's sake and cheerfully walked her to the classroom. She was very nervous walking in and I was so sad I had messed things up for her very first day. I kissed her briefly and said "I'll see you in a little while! Have fun!" and she shot me a frantic "DON'T LEAVE ME!" look with those extremely expressive eyes of hers. I kept that lump in my throat under control as I walked out of the door and towards the exit sign. This isn't how the first day of kindergarten is supposed to go! This is not what she was expecting. I had the camera in my purse. How could I have messed it up so horribly? My thoughts were interrupted by a scratchy little voice on my shoulder "Mama, why is Eliza so scared?" Even Ava could see how the rushed good-bye threw our sensitive Eliza for a loop. "Sometimes it's hard to begin something new." And my thoughts went back to when Eliza made me a new Mom. When I was scared I wasn't good enough to be somebody's Mom. Then I remembered how it felt to hold that warm baby girl for the first time. When she was finally placed in my arms her crying stopped and she nestled in and began to nurse. I cried because she was so perfect, I loved her beyond my hearts capacity, and I finally trusted God's confidence in me. I may not be perfect, but I am hers and she loves me.

But again (and again, and again, and again!)...I am SO, SO sorry I made you late for your very first day!!! UGH!!!