I am NOT ready for the holiday season. Not one bit.
Along with the holidays come the ever dreaded testing of my students, report cards and conferences. THen Thanksgiving, which again will be spent at a soccer tournament, this time in San Diego. I feel bad because Alex just got an opportunity to go to Florida on Christmas day to go to a tournament with another team for the Disney Classic at Disney World but it's super pricey and they want the $ tomorrow. We've never denied him the chance to further his soccer training but we just can't swing this one on such short notice. Now instead he wants to go to Spain to visit a friend who is living there for a year. This would just be airfare because the family has an apartment there and will take care of his meals, etc. I need to to look into it because I understand from a Spanish coworker that airfare to Spain around the holidays is also super pricey. I need to win the lottery or teach a whole lotta classes!
Halloween tomorrow. We celebrated at school Friday and tomorrow I'm supposed to have a regular academic day. Yeah, RIGHT. we'll see how THAT goes.
I've had in my head for days things I wanted to blog about. Can I remember any of them? Nope. Gonna try to study here for a bit and see how much sticks. Just about to start chapter 9, which is titled Understanding the Challenge of Behavior Change. Is super interesting so far because it's all about the psychological reasons and motivations behind why we make changes our lives, be it dietary, physically, etc. Deliberately embarking on a path of change. Right up my alley :-)
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Today has been a pretty good day. However, I stayed up WAY too late last night waiting for my little prince to get home and then we stayed up talking about the dance. It made for a very difficult morning this morning! I slept in a bit and then had to get ready to teach at the gym. My back has been very sore and I am still two weeks out before my next massage. Oy.
I'm so excited that Alex has made the decision to play High School basketball. He has not played since middle school and he was such a dynamic force on the court that we have been hoping he would go out for it in high school. Because he is focused on a soccer scholarship, he has been adamant that he is only going to play soccer and both sports are at the same time. Soccer has been challenging for him lately and both he and franklin are looking for a break, a chance to rejuvenate, do something else and come back to it in the spring with a renewed sense of energy and focus. He's been thinking about it but the last two years we've approached it with him and he's shot us down. I think at this point in time, since he is struggling, he feels the need for a change. I don't think I've ever cheered as loud at a soccer game as I did during basketball, just because the action is constant, the crowds are intense and the noise level in gyms off the hook. He made it to several championship games and he was MVP many times. Granted, HS BB is a different level but he will go through tryouts and I work with a teacher who used to be the varsity coach at woodside and I've contacted him for some private sessions and we will go from there. It's going to be a different HS sports experience. Soccer games - small crowds, no concessions or announcers or cheerleaders, when the weather is wet and cold, only the die hards attend games. BB? Big crowds, music, announcers, cheerleaders, etc. I just want him to have all the different kinds of experiences he can.
Class today was great. I just adore my Sunday class. Part of it is that it was a class created just for me at the request of several members. But really, it's because it's grown over the last 9 months, not just in numbers but in the commitment and dedication of the participants. Today I was talking about increasing weights and gave them a challenge. Since it was only about 22 people, there were still small weights left and I challenged them to increase their back weight by just a small plate. EVERY SINGLE PERSON increased! Usually they just do what they want :-) We ran out of the small weights, I gave mine up to a lady and went with my standard back weight of 15 kgs on each side and at the end of the track, there were smiles all around as I congratulated them all on going heavier! Just a small increase can make a big difference and I was proud they all did it! I also challenged them to go on their toes for pushups, at least one or two if they have never come up off their knees before. I'm finally able to do the entire first set on my toes (10) and half (8)of the end of the track. Kills me, though!
Did some house cleaning, laundry, etc when I got home after grocery shopping, getting my coffee and bagels for the family, and worked on costumes at mom's with Amanda. I found my costume, just gonna be a cat again cause I have no energy or imagination and the parade at school is this Friday. Cassie, Jasmine and Lexi are adorable little pirates. We found a Jack Sparrow looking headpiece and Cassie, surprisingly wants to wear it. Amanda drew a mustache and beard on Lexi and it cracked us up how funny she looked!
Tuesday is our field trip to the Discovery Museum in San Jose. Only partly looking forward to it :-/
Tonight I was walking in the hallway and a stopped to look at some pictures of Alex as a child. His kindergarten picture with his cute little gap toothed smile, and one of as a toddler with his chubby cheeks. Big sap that I am, I started tearing up (surprise) and called him in to the hallway. He's grumbling as he comes in, and looked shocked when he saw tears running down my face and I took him in my arms and told him to slow down a bit. He hugged me and let me have my moment, but it's beginning to hit home that in just about 18 months he will graduate from high school and be off to college. Sigh.
I'm beat and sitting in bed with my Fitness Theory textbook, knowing that even if I read some, I'll fall asleep and none of it will stick. This is proving to be harder than I thought. Studying with kids? Not impossible but the last time I studied with a kid, it was Alexander and he was an easy mellow one. Cassie is more high maintenance. Sigh.
Maybe tomorrow.........
I'm so excited that Alex has made the decision to play High School basketball. He has not played since middle school and he was such a dynamic force on the court that we have been hoping he would go out for it in high school. Because he is focused on a soccer scholarship, he has been adamant that he is only going to play soccer and both sports are at the same time. Soccer has been challenging for him lately and both he and franklin are looking for a break, a chance to rejuvenate, do something else and come back to it in the spring with a renewed sense of energy and focus. He's been thinking about it but the last two years we've approached it with him and he's shot us down. I think at this point in time, since he is struggling, he feels the need for a change. I don't think I've ever cheered as loud at a soccer game as I did during basketball, just because the action is constant, the crowds are intense and the noise level in gyms off the hook. He made it to several championship games and he was MVP many times. Granted, HS BB is a different level but he will go through tryouts and I work with a teacher who used to be the varsity coach at woodside and I've contacted him for some private sessions and we will go from there. It's going to be a different HS sports experience. Soccer games - small crowds, no concessions or announcers or cheerleaders, when the weather is wet and cold, only the die hards attend games. BB? Big crowds, music, announcers, cheerleaders, etc. I just want him to have all the different kinds of experiences he can.
Class today was great. I just adore my Sunday class. Part of it is that it was a class created just for me at the request of several members. But really, it's because it's grown over the last 9 months, not just in numbers but in the commitment and dedication of the participants. Today I was talking about increasing weights and gave them a challenge. Since it was only about 22 people, there were still small weights left and I challenged them to increase their back weight by just a small plate. EVERY SINGLE PERSON increased! Usually they just do what they want :-) We ran out of the small weights, I gave mine up to a lady and went with my standard back weight of 15 kgs on each side and at the end of the track, there were smiles all around as I congratulated them all on going heavier! Just a small increase can make a big difference and I was proud they all did it! I also challenged them to go on their toes for pushups, at least one or two if they have never come up off their knees before. I'm finally able to do the entire first set on my toes (10) and half (8)of the end of the track. Kills me, though!
Did some house cleaning, laundry, etc when I got home after grocery shopping, getting my coffee and bagels for the family, and worked on costumes at mom's with Amanda. I found my costume, just gonna be a cat again cause I have no energy or imagination and the parade at school is this Friday. Cassie, Jasmine and Lexi are adorable little pirates. We found a Jack Sparrow looking headpiece and Cassie, surprisingly wants to wear it. Amanda drew a mustache and beard on Lexi and it cracked us up how funny she looked!
Tuesday is our field trip to the Discovery Museum in San Jose. Only partly looking forward to it :-/
Tonight I was walking in the hallway and a stopped to look at some pictures of Alex as a child. His kindergarten picture with his cute little gap toothed smile, and one of as a toddler with his chubby cheeks. Big sap that I am, I started tearing up (surprise) and called him in to the hallway. He's grumbling as he comes in, and looked shocked when he saw tears running down my face and I took him in my arms and told him to slow down a bit. He hugged me and let me have my moment, but it's beginning to hit home that in just about 18 months he will graduate from high school and be off to college. Sigh.
I'm beat and sitting in bed with my Fitness Theory textbook, knowing that even if I read some, I'll fall asleep and none of it will stick. This is proving to be harder than I thought. Studying with kids? Not impossible but the last time I studied with a kid, it was Alexander and he was an easy mellow one. Cassie is more high maintenance. Sigh.
Maybe tomorrow.........
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Princes, Princesses and Drama Queens GALORE
What a day for royalty! Hahahaha!!!
I took the kids for their flu shots today and while I knew this was going to happen, I didn't realize that in two weeks, my pediatricians office would close and move to a different location. This hit me as a BIT sad because my kids' doctor, Kim Harvey, is the daughter of MY pediatrician, Birt Harvey. So for the majority of my life, except for the time from 18-26, I have been going on a yearly basis, sometimes more to this office by Stanford Hospital. The same building, many of the same nurses, familiar rooms with the decals on the walls, etc. I spoke with the nurse who gave out the shots and she was actually hired by MY doctor 45 years ago. I have very fond memories of my doctor. He was always all about the patient. My mom tells the story of a time when I was 3 and had visited him for some illness. He called the house the day after and asked how I was doing. She began to respond and he told her the SHE was not his patient, I was, and to put me on the phone. He was bald and looked like Mr. Clean. He still is in medicine today, although on the research end with Stanford.
I was excited when I was pregnant with Alex to hear that his daughter was practicing in his old office, so we scheduled an appointment with her, like a pre-birth appointment. Franklin and I both liked her immediately and the rest is history. She is the reason that even though I pay a ton out of my pocket for health insurance, I will not change because I don't want to lose her as the doctor of my children. So while we will be going to a new, updated medical center in Menlo Park instead, thankfully we will still have he same great doctor and staff for my precious cargo. I took a couple of pictures of the kids at the office and as we drove away, got a bit teary eyed. I did not sob, or cry for long, it was just a bit of a nostalgic feeling knowing I would not go that familiar route ever again. Call me a sap, or a drama queen, or ridiculous, but WHATEVER. It was still a bit sad.
So speaking of drama queens, DQJ, Drama Queen Junior, as Cassie has been dubbed by Amanda, knew full well she was getting a shot today. Alex went first, she watched the needle going in and out, and then promptly started to freak out. She started crying "I need a break! I need a break!" I'm laughing and telling her "A break from WHAT?!" I had to pin her down while Alexander distracted her for the 2.5 seconds the actual shot took. He then picked her up and comforted her. Good grief. Two stickers later and she was fine. He doesn't remember the time when he was five and he bolted into the room, dove under a chair and screamed bloody murder! We had to take the chair off him, grab him and it took both Franklin and I to pin him down for whatever shot he was there to get!
I went off to teach at PAC. It's been 3 weeks since I have seen them and I received a nice welcome back. One member commented how they were well taken care of in my absence (thanks Pam) but that they did miss me. It's a very nice group of people.
After class I rushed off to the park by my house for Jasmine's 5th birthday party. It was a beautiful day at the park but as soon as I arrived Franklin and Alexander left for San Jose for a soccer game and needed the van which left me stranded, but my oldest brother Steve (Jazzy's grandpa) drove me around. We all went out for dinner this evening for his birthday (Monday he will be 58! Yikes! I made sure he knew that I was SO much younger and still in my early 40's!!) and also for Vince's 31st birthday next week (Jasmine's daddy). Mexican food made it tough for Amanda and I since we are not eating carbs after 6pm but we had taco salads, hers with shrimp and mine with grilled chicken and had a nice time out with them and my mom.
I've been anxiously awaiting to hear news from Alex about the Homecoming dance he is at. He was nominated to be on the ballot for Homecoming Prince but couldn't care less if he won or not. He had a fun week at school with all the Spirit activities he was involved in, admittedly that he HAD to do because he is Vice President and in Leadership, but he got into the spirit and truly had a good time. The game last night, the first and only one I've been to and stayed for in it's entirety, was fun and he was on the float he helped to build, then he worked the sidelines of the game with his friend videotaping plays. Tonight, after his soccer game he went to the dance and just called me a few minutes ago to ask if he could go to In N Out with a group of friends. When I asked him if he won, he said yes! And some girl named Summer won the title Princess. So now I wait up for him to come home. The Junioir class President, Laura, lives across the street from us so she is giving him a ride home. I just get very nervous with these kids driving around town on a Saturday night. Sigh. My little prince is growing up!
I took the kids for their flu shots today and while I knew this was going to happen, I didn't realize that in two weeks, my pediatricians office would close and move to a different location. This hit me as a BIT sad because my kids' doctor, Kim Harvey, is the daughter of MY pediatrician, Birt Harvey. So for the majority of my life, except for the time from 18-26, I have been going on a yearly basis, sometimes more to this office by Stanford Hospital. The same building, many of the same nurses, familiar rooms with the decals on the walls, etc. I spoke with the nurse who gave out the shots and she was actually hired by MY doctor 45 years ago. I have very fond memories of my doctor. He was always all about the patient. My mom tells the story of a time when I was 3 and had visited him for some illness. He called the house the day after and asked how I was doing. She began to respond and he told her the SHE was not his patient, I was, and to put me on the phone. He was bald and looked like Mr. Clean. He still is in medicine today, although on the research end with Stanford.
I was excited when I was pregnant with Alex to hear that his daughter was practicing in his old office, so we scheduled an appointment with her, like a pre-birth appointment. Franklin and I both liked her immediately and the rest is history. She is the reason that even though I pay a ton out of my pocket for health insurance, I will not change because I don't want to lose her as the doctor of my children. So while we will be going to a new, updated medical center in Menlo Park instead, thankfully we will still have he same great doctor and staff for my precious cargo. I took a couple of pictures of the kids at the office and as we drove away, got a bit teary eyed. I did not sob, or cry for long, it was just a bit of a nostalgic feeling knowing I would not go that familiar route ever again. Call me a sap, or a drama queen, or ridiculous, but WHATEVER. It was still a bit sad.
So speaking of drama queens, DQJ, Drama Queen Junior, as Cassie has been dubbed by Amanda, knew full well she was getting a shot today. Alex went first, she watched the needle going in and out, and then promptly started to freak out. She started crying "I need a break! I need a break!" I'm laughing and telling her "A break from WHAT?!" I had to pin her down while Alexander distracted her for the 2.5 seconds the actual shot took. He then picked her up and comforted her. Good grief. Two stickers later and she was fine. He doesn't remember the time when he was five and he bolted into the room, dove under a chair and screamed bloody murder! We had to take the chair off him, grab him and it took both Franklin and I to pin him down for whatever shot he was there to get!
I went off to teach at PAC. It's been 3 weeks since I have seen them and I received a nice welcome back. One member commented how they were well taken care of in my absence (thanks Pam) but that they did miss me. It's a very nice group of people.
After class I rushed off to the park by my house for Jasmine's 5th birthday party. It was a beautiful day at the park but as soon as I arrived Franklin and Alexander left for San Jose for a soccer game and needed the van which left me stranded, but my oldest brother Steve (Jazzy's grandpa) drove me around. We all went out for dinner this evening for his birthday (Monday he will be 58! Yikes! I made sure he knew that I was SO much younger and still in my early 40's!!) and also for Vince's 31st birthday next week (Jasmine's daddy). Mexican food made it tough for Amanda and I since we are not eating carbs after 6pm but we had taco salads, hers with shrimp and mine with grilled chicken and had a nice time out with them and my mom.
I've been anxiously awaiting to hear news from Alex about the Homecoming dance he is at. He was nominated to be on the ballot for Homecoming Prince but couldn't care less if he won or not. He had a fun week at school with all the Spirit activities he was involved in, admittedly that he HAD to do because he is Vice President and in Leadership, but he got into the spirit and truly had a good time. The game last night, the first and only one I've been to and stayed for in it's entirety, was fun and he was on the float he helped to build, then he worked the sidelines of the game with his friend videotaping plays. Tonight, after his soccer game he went to the dance and just called me a few minutes ago to ask if he could go to In N Out with a group of friends. When I asked him if he won, he said yes! And some girl named Summer won the title Princess. So now I wait up for him to come home. The Junioir class President, Laura, lives across the street from us so she is giving him a ride home. I just get very nervous with these kids driving around town on a Saturday night. Sigh. My little prince is growing up!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Procrastination? Or....
Have I bitten off more than I can chew?
I have sat down with this humongous text book for my certification exam each night since Sunday and I have yet to actually open it. Something keeps coming up, whether it's kids, laundry, or whatever, but I have not gotten past chapter 2. I realize I have to plan this out and pace myself because I only have two months but I'm already feeling behind the eight ball.
I didn't teach tonight and had every intention, after making dinner, to sit down and do some reading. Cassie even knew I had homework and was busy playing. The I received a phone call from a fellow instructor in the South Bay that I only know on Facebook and we talked for about an hour about all kinds of things. It's nice to make a connection with someone who's life was changed by BodyPump and has similar things in common, like kids, work, BP, life in general :-)
So here it is after 11:00, I'm blogging instead of studying, the kids are asleep and Franklin is at a coach's house doing who knows what. Talking soccer, of course. Alexander passed out after practice because he as been up since before 5:00am. I just posted a couple of spirit day pictures but I am so proud of the fact that I set my alarm for 4:50am and when it went off, I heard him in the shower and was able to lay in bed listening to him get ready but not actually have to get up and do anything! He even got a ride from a girl across the street and had a fun day overall. I'm glad his high school experience is turning out to be a good one, both academically and socially. Mine was all about his dad since mid sophomore year and while I don't regret it at all, I missed out on a lot and I'm just glad my son is having a different experience.
Maybe I can get 15 minutes of studying in.... If I stop blogging RIGHT NOW!!
I have sat down with this humongous text book for my certification exam each night since Sunday and I have yet to actually open it. Something keeps coming up, whether it's kids, laundry, or whatever, but I have not gotten past chapter 2. I realize I have to plan this out and pace myself because I only have two months but I'm already feeling behind the eight ball.
I didn't teach tonight and had every intention, after making dinner, to sit down and do some reading. Cassie even knew I had homework and was busy playing. The I received a phone call from a fellow instructor in the South Bay that I only know on Facebook and we talked for about an hour about all kinds of things. It's nice to make a connection with someone who's life was changed by BodyPump and has similar things in common, like kids, work, BP, life in general :-)
So here it is after 11:00, I'm blogging instead of studying, the kids are asleep and Franklin is at a coach's house doing who knows what. Talking soccer, of course. Alexander passed out after practice because he as been up since before 5:00am. I just posted a couple of spirit day pictures but I am so proud of the fact that I set my alarm for 4:50am and when it went off, I heard him in the shower and was able to lay in bed listening to him get ready but not actually have to get up and do anything! He even got a ride from a girl across the street and had a fun day overall. I'm glad his high school experience is turning out to be a good one, both academically and socially. Mine was all about his dad since mid sophomore year and while I don't regret it at all, I missed out on a lot and I'm just glad my son is having a different experience.
Maybe I can get 15 minutes of studying in.... If I stop blogging RIGHT NOW!!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Yikes.....
I AM BEAT.
Three days in a row of Bodypump79......left it's mark for sure. I'm in need of another massage again and it's only been a week, so that tells you how my upper back is wracked up, my quads are in knots.....I spent some time with my roller and a heating pad tonight but yikes. I'm glad tomorrow is an off day but it's supposed to be the day Amanda and I take the girls and go for our first mile run. We shall see.
Class was great last night in Daly City. One of the members had my equipment set up for me and I got to spend 1/2 an hour chatting with people and began the class thanking them for accepting me in their class for the last 4 weeks. It really is a great little group of pumpers and the staff at the front told me they loved me and hope I'll come back. It's really not that far and so if they even need a sub on a day I don't already teach, I would be happy to. One of my regular San Carlos guys came so it was nice to see a familiar face.
Class tonight was great. To consistently be able to do the lunge track without options is rewarding, as well as doing more and more pushups on my toes :-) I continue to see new faces each class. Two ladies that came to a 24Set class I subbed once (BP instead, of course) have been coming to my classes pretty regularly and it's nice to see they have converted :-) I also am quite worried about something but I don't want to go too into detail here. It's just that there are some serious issues going on with another class and it worries me what kind of experience members are having. Teaching 3 out of 4 classes here really gives me a sense of ownership and responsibility for all the members that take BodyPump. I want them to have a great experience each time and I only have control over my own classes. That said, new members may get discouraged if their experience is less than ideal and may not stick around long enough to see what a great program this is. I spoke to Justin about it tonight and hopefully something can be done. It's out of my hands, as it should be. It's just very hard to see a program that you are passionate about being delivered in a way that is not in the essence. Sigh.
I ended the class by putting away my equipment, and as I bent over to pick up my bar, which had rolled close to the mirror, and promptly smacked my forehead against the glass. Thank goodness no one saw it. I did leave a big sweaty forehead mark on the glass, along with some skin cells, most likely, and my dignity for sure! Felt like a big ole doofus.
Up at 5:00am to wake up Alexander because he has to go decorate the parking lot at school for Junior day. I'm not a Junior. Why in the world to do I have to get up? Cause he can't do it. Sigh. On a happier note, he is on the official ballot for Homecoming Prince. ROFLMAO! I told him I wouldn't post on FB but if he wins, it's ALL over :-) hee hee hee, I'm an evil mommy!
Three days in a row of Bodypump79......left it's mark for sure. I'm in need of another massage again and it's only been a week, so that tells you how my upper back is wracked up, my quads are in knots.....I spent some time with my roller and a heating pad tonight but yikes. I'm glad tomorrow is an off day but it's supposed to be the day Amanda and I take the girls and go for our first mile run. We shall see.
Class was great last night in Daly City. One of the members had my equipment set up for me and I got to spend 1/2 an hour chatting with people and began the class thanking them for accepting me in their class for the last 4 weeks. It really is a great little group of pumpers and the staff at the front told me they loved me and hope I'll come back. It's really not that far and so if they even need a sub on a day I don't already teach, I would be happy to. One of my regular San Carlos guys came so it was nice to see a familiar face.
Class tonight was great. To consistently be able to do the lunge track without options is rewarding, as well as doing more and more pushups on my toes :-) I continue to see new faces each class. Two ladies that came to a 24Set class I subbed once (BP instead, of course) have been coming to my classes pretty regularly and it's nice to see they have converted :-) I also am quite worried about something but I don't want to go too into detail here. It's just that there are some serious issues going on with another class and it worries me what kind of experience members are having. Teaching 3 out of 4 classes here really gives me a sense of ownership and responsibility for all the members that take BodyPump. I want them to have a great experience each time and I only have control over my own classes. That said, new members may get discouraged if their experience is less than ideal and may not stick around long enough to see what a great program this is. I spoke to Justin about it tonight and hopefully something can be done. It's out of my hands, as it should be. It's just very hard to see a program that you are passionate about being delivered in a way that is not in the essence. Sigh.
I ended the class by putting away my equipment, and as I bent over to pick up my bar, which had rolled close to the mirror, and promptly smacked my forehead against the glass. Thank goodness no one saw it. I did leave a big sweaty forehead mark on the glass, along with some skin cells, most likely, and my dignity for sure! Felt like a big ole doofus.
Up at 5:00am to wake up Alexander because he has to go decorate the parking lot at school for Junior day. I'm not a Junior. Why in the world to do I have to get up? Cause he can't do it. Sigh. On a happier note, he is on the official ballot for Homecoming Prince. ROFLMAO! I told him I wouldn't post on FB but if he wins, it's ALL over :-) hee hee hee, I'm an evil mommy!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Ice Skating + Me= OMG
I suppose it could be the running I did yesterday. But I suspect it was the ice skating. While I don't have actual visible bruises on my lower shins, when I press the area that the skates hit at the top of the laces - wow. Pain. Plus I'm sore along the top of my foot all the way up to my shins, my hamstrings are t-i-g-h-t and my core?! Well, who knew that you need core stabilizers to hold yourself upright while balancing on ice skates! I feel it deep in my abs and obliques. Almost like after CX-Worx! All told, my body is hurting and that made for a tough BodyPump class today. I went a bit lighter on squats, but man oh man! Again, I had muscle failure at the end! And it really irks me that on Sunday's it seems to be that the air flow is non existent. Jason came in during class to open the back door and let a cross breeze in. Proud that I finished lunges, bottom halves and all, without falling over and in shoulders I did the entire first set of push ups on my toes again and the last set, almost half. I'm getting there.
Alexander had a soccer game at DeAnza college today and Cassie didn't want to go, so I took this chance to get some studying done in the hour before the game and at half time. This is what I got accomplished - read the entire study guide, and the first two chapters, which is merely the intro- the real meat begins in chapter 3. I also tabbed out the sections in the text that the study guide recommends in order to pace the lessons and it also gives an assignment to do at the end of each study session. Surprisingly, although it sucks to be reading any kind of text book again, I found the information so far really interesting.
One point that stuck out for me: in the past the recommendation was to perform moderate exercise for 30 minutes a day. Studies now show that in order to lose and maintain weight, closer to 2 hours is recommended. Wow. I suppose if you are totally sedentary, 30 minutes is a great start to get up and get moving, but to hear that in order to really lose and maintain your weight you need much more than that? It can be ovewhelming to hear that if you are obese and struggle with real life responsibilities, families, work, etc. But the reality is if you don't put yourself at the top of the priority list, nothing will change. You have to be committed to the benefits that exercise and a healthy lifestyle will give you, how it will improve your quality of life and your overall wellness. It's not easy to plan, to figure out how to make it all work. But I did it. It can be done. You have to want it, to commit to it, to realize you are worth it.
When I began on my journey, and I was doing BodyPump three times a week for an hour, it wasn't until I added Body Combat for that additional hour of cardio that things sped up and started to change. How much exercise was I doing? 2 hours, three times a week. There you go. It was not daily, but it was three days coupled with changes in my diet that made the weight loss dramatic.
Although I'm nervous about studying for the next two months, I'm a bit excited at taking my knowledge base to another level. Maybe I can use what I learn to really help someone on an individual level. This exam prepares and qualifies me to teach in a group fitness setting but the information I will learn will hopefully be beneficial to individual participants as well.
Tomorrow is my last subbing job in Daly City for Madds. It was a great run with a fun group, but I'm ready to have my Monday's back. Amanda and I will start running again this Wednesday and hopefully do Monday's and Wednesday's. My heels were bugging me a bit today but not bad. I still need to deal with them.
Monday. Sigh. I'm not ready.
Alexander had a soccer game at DeAnza college today and Cassie didn't want to go, so I took this chance to get some studying done in the hour before the game and at half time. This is what I got accomplished - read the entire study guide, and the first two chapters, which is merely the intro- the real meat begins in chapter 3. I also tabbed out the sections in the text that the study guide recommends in order to pace the lessons and it also gives an assignment to do at the end of each study session. Surprisingly, although it sucks to be reading any kind of text book again, I found the information so far really interesting.
One point that stuck out for me: in the past the recommendation was to perform moderate exercise for 30 minutes a day. Studies now show that in order to lose and maintain weight, closer to 2 hours is recommended. Wow. I suppose if you are totally sedentary, 30 minutes is a great start to get up and get moving, but to hear that in order to really lose and maintain your weight you need much more than that? It can be ovewhelming to hear that if you are obese and struggle with real life responsibilities, families, work, etc. But the reality is if you don't put yourself at the top of the priority list, nothing will change. You have to be committed to the benefits that exercise and a healthy lifestyle will give you, how it will improve your quality of life and your overall wellness. It's not easy to plan, to figure out how to make it all work. But I did it. It can be done. You have to want it, to commit to it, to realize you are worth it.
When I began on my journey, and I was doing BodyPump three times a week for an hour, it wasn't until I added Body Combat for that additional hour of cardio that things sped up and started to change. How much exercise was I doing? 2 hours, three times a week. There you go. It was not daily, but it was three days coupled with changes in my diet that made the weight loss dramatic.
Although I'm nervous about studying for the next two months, I'm a bit excited at taking my knowledge base to another level. Maybe I can use what I learn to really help someone on an individual level. This exam prepares and qualifies me to teach in a group fitness setting but the information I will learn will hopefully be beneficial to individual participants as well.
Tomorrow is my last subbing job in Daly City for Madds. It was a great run with a fun group, but I'm ready to have my Monday's back. Amanda and I will start running again this Wednesday and hopefully do Monday's and Wednesday's. My heels were bugging me a bit today but not bad. I still need to deal with them.
Monday. Sigh. I'm not ready.
My Daughter is a ROCK STAR
What an amazing day. Cassie honestly surprised me.
I'm so exhausted, literally nodding off at 8:00 tonight while at a family birthday party, and it's now 11:00 and my eyesight is blurring but I need to get this out. At least I can sleep in a bit before I go teach.
I woke up at 6:00 am and got ready, then got Cassie up and out of the house at 7:00. Cassie was amenable to getting up since she was going to see Jasmine. We got to mom's house, sat the girls down for breakfast and then loaded the girls up in my van along with Amanda and her hubby Vince and off we went to downtown Redwood City. Parking was easy; we parked in the county courthouse lot and walked to the starting point. I ran into Claudia, a fellow teacher at another school, who was walking with her niece. There was a decent crowd but it was so laid back and relaxed, it was unlike the only other 1/2 marathon that I've been a part of - the San Jose Rock N Roll last year. Since it was the first annual OktobeRun, I knew there would be kinks to work out.
We ran into other teachers, Zoe and Jen, who work at Kennedy, Alexander's former middle school. Then we ran into Nancy and Randi, his teachers from elementary school. Of course everyone asked where he and his dad were at but Alex had some school meetings to go to for Homecoming week and Franklin was at a soccer game. We also ran into the Meak family, Liza, Van! Olivia, Erin and Carrie. Cassie was thrilled to see her friends, and the race began.
The race started and we were off. We began walking but after a block started to jog. The route wasn't pretty, downtown RWC is flat and through businesses. The way the city blocked off the route is definitely something they have to work through. The cones blocked off a small lane to run but the rest was still open to traffic. Alexis wanted to be out of the stroller and walk/run with the girls but Amanda didn't feel safe with the cars so nearby.
As we neared the turnaround point for the 5K (the 1/2 kept going out towards the bay and Redwood Shores) the traffic thinned and we were alternating walking with running. It started to feel really good being out running on pavement, even though hadn't done it for SO long. The girls were complaining a bit about running, but they were not stopping. Amanda had told them that we were not going to be losers, we were "wieners" because of how Franklin pronounces the word winners. That seemed to be our theme throughout the race - "let's be wieners", "lets go Team Wieners!" or "we're wieners, not losers"! It was funny and would fuel the girls on when they were getting tired.
Almost to the turnaround point, we were crossing on the overpass that crossed over 101. The girls got a kick out of waving at the passing cars on the freeway. We turned at the halfway point, grabbed a Dixie cup of water and headed back. At this point a bit of whining started to emerge, but Amanda and I kept motivating them, telling them we were almost done, they could do it, we are wieners, not losers, etc. Cassie would sprint ahead many times and then get so winded that I found my self running along side her giving her tips like relax your hands, slow your pace, move your arms like this, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. It surprised me that she actually responded! This helped her to pace herself and go longer between walking breaks.
Toward the end, we ran into a husband and wife couple that kept commenting on how cute the girls were. Liza and Erin (5) ran ahead once Van finished running and came back to push Carrie in the stroller, so we finished the race with Van, Carrie(3) and Olivia (8)(who does not enjoy running!) The husband was teasing the girls whenever they passed us, and the last time, when we were about 4 blocks from the finish line he teased them again. We told the girls that we didn't want them beating us cause we were wieners and for some reason, it lit a fire under their butts and they took off running! I had to slow them down again but we made a deal that we would cross the finish line running not walking. We were a block from the end and running and I realized it would be great to have video, even though I knew it wouldn't come out great cause I would be bouncing all over the place. I am SO glad I did. As we approached the finish line, the announcer called out each of our names and the girl' ages! In the very bouncy, nauseatingly rocky video, you can hear him calling "Jasmine Hall, age 4! Cassandra Herrera, age 6! Amanda Hall, Kristy Herrera! You can see the girls putting a fist in the air as they run across the finish line! So amazing and precious, I'm glad I captured it even with the bumpy video. We stopped and volunteers cut off our sensors, we got our goody bags and stopped for pictures.
Most of this time, Alexis was either with Amanda on her back or with Vince. He ended up walking the whole way with her while the rest of us jogged with the empty stroller. At one point I pushed the stroller as we ran. That was freaking HARD! It's a regular stroller, not a jogging stroller. Once we crossed the finish line, Amanda ran back to get Vince and Alexis and I took pictures with the girls and gave then snacks I had packed. I checked the race times after we finished - 55 minutes, 18 minute miles! Not bad for the first time for these little monkeys!
The look of pure happiness on Cassie and Jasmine's faces at the end was priceless. They had a great time and I know they felt a sense of accomplishment. I personally found that I actually miss running. It wasn't really hard for me, but I worried about my heel pain and found it was actually OK. Even tonight they are not sore, but we didn't do the kind of distances I used to when I was training. But it made me realize I want to start running again. Maybe not training, but getting out and running.
Amanda and I decided we are going to start running, even a mile at a time, during the week. When the hell I will have time, who knows. She asked Jasmine if she wanted to run and got a NO. She asked Cassie and surprisingly Cassie said yes, to which Jasmine promptly changed her answer to a yes as well. They had a ton of energy as we walked back to the car and kept talking about "their 5K". I hope the excitement lasts, but the rest of the day this was the hot topic. Amanda and I were beyond proud of our girls. 3 miles is a lot at their age, and we both had thought we would be walking the entire course. The fact they ran at all was amazing, when their energy waned, with some motivational cues and coaching, these little girls rose above and beyond what we had dared hope. They are amazing little girls! Since they only got shirts and no medals, they decided their reward for a job well done will be a trip to get frozen yogurt, which we will do after I teach BP tomorrow.
After a much deserved stop at Starbucks, we went back to mom's, fed them and then Cassie and I went home to shower and ice my knees. I was already stiffening and feeling some pain, and knew that Kendra's ice skating party was at 3:00.
Alexander had promised he would skate with Cassie, as she had never put on skates before. Well, he decided that he didn't want to hurt himself before his soccer game tomorrow, yet I was terrified of getting on ice skates and injuring MYSELF when I have to teach BP the next three days in a row. Plus I've NEVER liked ice skating. Maybe because I was so fat I would fall HARD, and my ankles were weak and I could never balance well on those blades.
We arrived at Winter Lodge in Palo Alto, which had both an indoor rink and an outdoor rink. Tiffany handed us two tickets for skates. Franklin didn't want to skate so guess who stepped up? Yup. Me. Damn. I was so terrified of falling down. It's been more than 20 years since I'd ice skated. I like to roller skate - maybe because I had 4 wheels to balance on.
Well these skates were so stiff that I couldn't even bend at my ankle. They were extremely uncomfortable, but off to the ice I went with Cassie. We spent the first 4 times around the rink being rail huggers. It was so unnerving being on ice skates. Cassie kept wanting to hold my hand and I had a hard time balancing myself, let alone her and trying to stay upright. Had to uses some serious core strength to maintain my balance!
At times Cassie would go off and hold hands with here friends parents, or her friends. After about 45 minutes on the ice I realized how famished I was and remembered I never really ate after the race. I snacked a bit and then had my coffee but I was starved. I took a break, had some cheese, crackers and turkey and then hit the ice again. At this point, Cassie was feeling more comfortable and was happily hugging the wall with her friends. I tried to get her to take a break but she kept plugging along. She was pretty fearless. Again, I was immensely proud of her because this is not the Cassie of late. She would not be so willing to put herself out there independently, usually wanting me or her dad to do things with her.
Today, for the first time, I saw her exert her independence, in a very different way. In a good way. It made me see her as a bit more grown up, laughing and enjoying herself with her friends and doing something completely out of her comfort zone with no fear. She took a few dives, got right back up and kept going.
My little monkey. Growing up.
Tonight we had to go to a family birthday dinner and she had so much energy I couldn't believe it. I was nodding off at 8:00 and she was going full steam. Of course, we left at 10:00 and she was asleep in the car before we got to the corner so I'm sure she will sleep well. Me? I'm freaking exhausted but I had to get this day down before I forgot.
My little Rock Star.
I'm so exhausted, literally nodding off at 8:00 tonight while at a family birthday party, and it's now 11:00 and my eyesight is blurring but I need to get this out. At least I can sleep in a bit before I go teach.
I woke up at 6:00 am and got ready, then got Cassie up and out of the house at 7:00. Cassie was amenable to getting up since she was going to see Jasmine. We got to mom's house, sat the girls down for breakfast and then loaded the girls up in my van along with Amanda and her hubby Vince and off we went to downtown Redwood City. Parking was easy; we parked in the county courthouse lot and walked to the starting point. I ran into Claudia, a fellow teacher at another school, who was walking with her niece. There was a decent crowd but it was so laid back and relaxed, it was unlike the only other 1/2 marathon that I've been a part of - the San Jose Rock N Roll last year. Since it was the first annual OktobeRun, I knew there would be kinks to work out.
We ran into other teachers, Zoe and Jen, who work at Kennedy, Alexander's former middle school. Then we ran into Nancy and Randi, his teachers from elementary school. Of course everyone asked where he and his dad were at but Alex had some school meetings to go to for Homecoming week and Franklin was at a soccer game. We also ran into the Meak family, Liza, Van! Olivia, Erin and Carrie. Cassie was thrilled to see her friends, and the race began.
The race started and we were off. We began walking but after a block started to jog. The route wasn't pretty, downtown RWC is flat and through businesses. The way the city blocked off the route is definitely something they have to work through. The cones blocked off a small lane to run but the rest was still open to traffic. Alexis wanted to be out of the stroller and walk/run with the girls but Amanda didn't feel safe with the cars so nearby.
As we neared the turnaround point for the 5K (the 1/2 kept going out towards the bay and Redwood Shores) the traffic thinned and we were alternating walking with running. It started to feel really good being out running on pavement, even though hadn't done it for SO long. The girls were complaining a bit about running, but they were not stopping. Amanda had told them that we were not going to be losers, we were "wieners" because of how Franklin pronounces the word winners. That seemed to be our theme throughout the race - "let's be wieners", "lets go Team Wieners!" or "we're wieners, not losers"! It was funny and would fuel the girls on when they were getting tired.
Almost to the turnaround point, we were crossing on the overpass that crossed over 101. The girls got a kick out of waving at the passing cars on the freeway. We turned at the halfway point, grabbed a Dixie cup of water and headed back. At this point a bit of whining started to emerge, but Amanda and I kept motivating them, telling them we were almost done, they could do it, we are wieners, not losers, etc. Cassie would sprint ahead many times and then get so winded that I found my self running along side her giving her tips like relax your hands, slow your pace, move your arms like this, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. It surprised me that she actually responded! This helped her to pace herself and go longer between walking breaks.
Toward the end, we ran into a husband and wife couple that kept commenting on how cute the girls were. Liza and Erin (5) ran ahead once Van finished running and came back to push Carrie in the stroller, so we finished the race with Van, Carrie(3) and Olivia (8)(who does not enjoy running!) The husband was teasing the girls whenever they passed us, and the last time, when we were about 4 blocks from the finish line he teased them again. We told the girls that we didn't want them beating us cause we were wieners and for some reason, it lit a fire under their butts and they took off running! I had to slow them down again but we made a deal that we would cross the finish line running not walking. We were a block from the end and running and I realized it would be great to have video, even though I knew it wouldn't come out great cause I would be bouncing all over the place. I am SO glad I did. As we approached the finish line, the announcer called out each of our names and the girl' ages! In the very bouncy, nauseatingly rocky video, you can hear him calling "Jasmine Hall, age 4! Cassandra Herrera, age 6! Amanda Hall, Kristy Herrera! You can see the girls putting a fist in the air as they run across the finish line! So amazing and precious, I'm glad I captured it even with the bumpy video. We stopped and volunteers cut off our sensors, we got our goody bags and stopped for pictures.
Most of this time, Alexis was either with Amanda on her back or with Vince. He ended up walking the whole way with her while the rest of us jogged with the empty stroller. At one point I pushed the stroller as we ran. That was freaking HARD! It's a regular stroller, not a jogging stroller. Once we crossed the finish line, Amanda ran back to get Vince and Alexis and I took pictures with the girls and gave then snacks I had packed. I checked the race times after we finished - 55 minutes, 18 minute miles! Not bad for the first time for these little monkeys!
The look of pure happiness on Cassie and Jasmine's faces at the end was priceless. They had a great time and I know they felt a sense of accomplishment. I personally found that I actually miss running. It wasn't really hard for me, but I worried about my heel pain and found it was actually OK. Even tonight they are not sore, but we didn't do the kind of distances I used to when I was training. But it made me realize I want to start running again. Maybe not training, but getting out and running.
Amanda and I decided we are going to start running, even a mile at a time, during the week. When the hell I will have time, who knows. She asked Jasmine if she wanted to run and got a NO. She asked Cassie and surprisingly Cassie said yes, to which Jasmine promptly changed her answer to a yes as well. They had a ton of energy as we walked back to the car and kept talking about "their 5K". I hope the excitement lasts, but the rest of the day this was the hot topic. Amanda and I were beyond proud of our girls. 3 miles is a lot at their age, and we both had thought we would be walking the entire course. The fact they ran at all was amazing, when their energy waned, with some motivational cues and coaching, these little girls rose above and beyond what we had dared hope. They are amazing little girls! Since they only got shirts and no medals, they decided their reward for a job well done will be a trip to get frozen yogurt, which we will do after I teach BP tomorrow.
After a much deserved stop at Starbucks, we went back to mom's, fed them and then Cassie and I went home to shower and ice my knees. I was already stiffening and feeling some pain, and knew that Kendra's ice skating party was at 3:00.
Alexander had promised he would skate with Cassie, as she had never put on skates before. Well, he decided that he didn't want to hurt himself before his soccer game tomorrow, yet I was terrified of getting on ice skates and injuring MYSELF when I have to teach BP the next three days in a row. Plus I've NEVER liked ice skating. Maybe because I was so fat I would fall HARD, and my ankles were weak and I could never balance well on those blades.
We arrived at Winter Lodge in Palo Alto, which had both an indoor rink and an outdoor rink. Tiffany handed us two tickets for skates. Franklin didn't want to skate so guess who stepped up? Yup. Me. Damn. I was so terrified of falling down. It's been more than 20 years since I'd ice skated. I like to roller skate - maybe because I had 4 wheels to balance on.
Well these skates were so stiff that I couldn't even bend at my ankle. They were extremely uncomfortable, but off to the ice I went with Cassie. We spent the first 4 times around the rink being rail huggers. It was so unnerving being on ice skates. Cassie kept wanting to hold my hand and I had a hard time balancing myself, let alone her and trying to stay upright. Had to uses some serious core strength to maintain my balance!
At times Cassie would go off and hold hands with here friends parents, or her friends. After about 45 minutes on the ice I realized how famished I was and remembered I never really ate after the race. I snacked a bit and then had my coffee but I was starved. I took a break, had some cheese, crackers and turkey and then hit the ice again. At this point, Cassie was feeling more comfortable and was happily hugging the wall with her friends. I tried to get her to take a break but she kept plugging along. She was pretty fearless. Again, I was immensely proud of her because this is not the Cassie of late. She would not be so willing to put herself out there independently, usually wanting me or her dad to do things with her.
Today, for the first time, I saw her exert her independence, in a very different way. In a good way. It made me see her as a bit more grown up, laughing and enjoying herself with her friends and doing something completely out of her comfort zone with no fear. She took a few dives, got right back up and kept going.
My little monkey. Growing up.
Tonight we had to go to a family birthday dinner and she had so much energy I couldn't believe it. I was nodding off at 8:00 and she was going full steam. Of course, we left at 10:00 and she was asleep in the car before we got to the corner so I'm sure she will sleep well. Me? I'm freaking exhausted but I had to get this day down before I forgot.
My little Rock Star.
Friday, October 14, 2011
What a Friday!
I was made to promise I would post a "retraction" of sorts to last night's blog. I literally posted it and then 10 minutes later got a phone call from a certain someone yelling at me for obsessing about my weight! I've been told, and I KNOW this, that muscle weighs more than fat, and I need to throw away my scale, I need to look at how I feel and how my clothes fit, etc., blah blah blah. I know I have a problem. However, it's been a long while since I weighed and it was not an obsessive kind of weigh in, it was a very calm check in kind of weigh in. I was HAPPY at what I found! Usually it goes the other way and I am pissed at the lack of downward movement.
I will admit, that even though the scale moved down, I start reflecting on the big picture - how little I've lost since last year. There was a time when I was losing so rapidly, and consistently, that one can't help wonder why I've slowed down. I realize it's a lot of factors, including my diet, my overall workout plan, my slower metabolism, and so on. But as I said yesterday, I'm feeling a newfound focus and hopefully things will start to move.
If I do weigh again, I will try to remember not to post here. To avoid getting slapped on the hand ;-P
I just read one of Pam's blogs and she had a link to a blog that showed woman at the beginning of her journey, and one after - and she weighed the EXACT SAME WEIGHT IN EACH PICTURE. Kinda blew me away. I do get it, and I have said this before, but when you have been overweight your entire life, the obsession with the scale and weight is a hard one to overcome. Amanda and I were driving to pick up our race day packets today and I told her the other day I was walking after my class, still in my workout clothes and I happened to walk by a store window, looked at my profile (cause who doesn't look at themselves) and thought "she looks fit, she looks good" or something like that and it took me a second to realize I was looking at ME. It took me aback, and at the next pane of glass I had to look close before it sunk in that it was me. She laughed at me, but it still takes me by surprise. I am not skinny. I most likely will never be. But I'm skinny for me. Skinnier. My mind, however, is still a bit overweight.
I received my AFAA study materials today. I just have two words. Oh CRAP.
Tomorrow is kind of a big day. I will do my first 5k with my daughter. She and her 5 year old cousin Jasmine are doing it together with my niece Amanda. I'm excited to show Cassie that fitness can be fun, we can do it as a family, we have some friends with kids walking also and she is excited to "race". We need to leave the house at 7:00am so that will be interesting, especially since I am not asleep yet.
The boys are still at the Woodside vs Sequioa football game. It was packed as I drove by. These two rivals have not played each other in about 25 yrs. Hope they're having fun but I'm crashing RIGHT NOW.
Gotta rest up for OktobeRun :-)
I will admit, that even though the scale moved down, I start reflecting on the big picture - how little I've lost since last year. There was a time when I was losing so rapidly, and consistently, that one can't help wonder why I've slowed down. I realize it's a lot of factors, including my diet, my overall workout plan, my slower metabolism, and so on. But as I said yesterday, I'm feeling a newfound focus and hopefully things will start to move.
If I do weigh again, I will try to remember not to post here. To avoid getting slapped on the hand ;-P
I just read one of Pam's blogs and she had a link to a blog that showed woman at the beginning of her journey, and one after - and she weighed the EXACT SAME WEIGHT IN EACH PICTURE. Kinda blew me away. I do get it, and I have said this before, but when you have been overweight your entire life, the obsession with the scale and weight is a hard one to overcome. Amanda and I were driving to pick up our race day packets today and I told her the other day I was walking after my class, still in my workout clothes and I happened to walk by a store window, looked at my profile (cause who doesn't look at themselves) and thought "she looks fit, she looks good" or something like that and it took me a second to realize I was looking at ME. It took me aback, and at the next pane of glass I had to look close before it sunk in that it was me. She laughed at me, but it still takes me by surprise. I am not skinny. I most likely will never be. But I'm skinny for me. Skinnier. My mind, however, is still a bit overweight.
I received my AFAA study materials today. I just have two words. Oh CRAP.
Tomorrow is kind of a big day. I will do my first 5k with my daughter. She and her 5 year old cousin Jasmine are doing it together with my niece Amanda. I'm excited to show Cassie that fitness can be fun, we can do it as a family, we have some friends with kids walking also and she is excited to "race". We need to leave the house at 7:00am so that will be interesting, especially since I am not asleep yet.
The boys are still at the Woodside vs Sequioa football game. It was packed as I drove by. These two rivals have not played each other in about 25 yrs. Hope they're having fun but I'm crashing RIGHT NOW.
Gotta rest up for OktobeRun :-)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Change Is A Comin'
Oh yes. I feel it. I crave it. I'm finding a new focus and today for the first time in awhile I felt really like things are moving.
Nothing too overly profound. I stepped on the scale today, it's been probably a month, maybe three weeks. I don't know. I don't get on often anymore because the damn thing is either broken or I literally have gained and lost the same 5 pounds since July 2010. I've have never gotten below this certain number that ends in a 5. And this time span included training and completing a half marathon, training for and teaching a butt load of BodyPump. I've gotten leaner, sure. Built muscle, of course. But lost any weight? NOPE. Gone down even one pant size? NOOOOOOOO.
Amanda, my 26 year old niece and I have set some new goals to work on our health. Now she is a former Marine, and in great shape even after having two kids. She wears booty shorts to my BodyPump classes, so you get the picture. She recognizes, however, that as she eats pretty much whatever she wants, that she needs to start making better choices so that when she gets older (yes, my age!) she won't be struggling.
Coupled with Alex's recommendations for me with pushups and other upper body work, Amanda and I are both not eating any carbs after 6pm. This is day three. The first night we were texting between 10-11:00 pm cause we were both hungry! We had done BP and then came home and ate some salad and steak. Not enough! Last night was easier and tonight alright. I ate my carbs this morning at breakfast and then a bit at lunch.
I am also cutting back on Starbucks. I know. It breaks my heart. I go every morning, several times a week I'll go twice a day, on my off days from teaching, or like yesterday, after a massage. It was really hard not to get one after my massage yesterday. I also am cutting out the artificial sweeteners, slowly, but my skinny vanilla latte has been my drink for years. Today I got a regular vanilla latte with fewer pumps. It was just fine. Sigh. One day at a time. Amanda is limiting her string cheese habit to one a day. We are both increasing our water consumption.
So when I decided to get on the scale this morning, it was to take a baseline from. To my surprise, I'm down two pounds from my lowest ever in the last 15 months, and down four pounds from the last time I weighed. That last number is now a 3.
So I feel a change is in the air. A breakthrough on the scale, a new found focus, a partner to do this with, and the fact that AIM is coming up in a month and I want to be leaner. Stronger.
Class tonight was packed, not as much as Tuesday but I got to talk to two new participants. They shared with me how much they liked my class but were so upset on Tuesday because they got there right at 6:30 and there were no weights or steps left. They went on the elliptical for 20 minutes, got disgusted and left! They need to talk to the manager but I let them know that they need to get to there 15 minutes early and then storm the room and grab a spot and equipment. It reminds me of Gold's gym and how we had to get there early and do the same thing in Alex's class.
I was in pain a good part of the day. Sore after my massage, maybe. Had lower and upper back pain and a tweaky knee. I was a bit concerned about class but I know from past experience that once I get started it all feels better. Well, BP79 is leaving it's mark. I felt a bit off tonight, made a couple of timing errors. Squats? I went down by just a bit and still almost wasn't able to complete the track. Biceps? Felt SO hard. Lunges? Disastrous. The floor was so slippery, I kept sliding, had to put the bar down and use my own body weight just to attempt to stay upright, and it was still damn hard. An off night I suppose, but I'm just glad it didn't happen while I was being observed! At least I'm not teaching Saturday so I have two days off from the gym and then three days in a row, as I'm covering one last class in Daly City for Madds. Eek. Bp79 three days in a row.
Tomorrow morning I am being observed in my classroom AGAIN. Sigh. I'm used to it but it still sucks. An outside facilitator plus the administration and several teachers will be watching. UGH. I just want Friday to be over.
After school Amanda and I will go to Fleet Feet and pick up our race day packets for the 5k we are doing in RWC with our girls on Saturday. We'll be pushing Alexis in her stroller and Jasmine and Cassie will walk or jog with us. Should be a beautiful day.
Off to ice my shoulders and back. Yes, BP 79 is leaving it's mark ;-)
Nothing too overly profound. I stepped on the scale today, it's been probably a month, maybe three weeks. I don't know. I don't get on often anymore because the damn thing is either broken or I literally have gained and lost the same 5 pounds since July 2010. I've have never gotten below this certain number that ends in a 5. And this time span included training and completing a half marathon, training for and teaching a butt load of BodyPump. I've gotten leaner, sure. Built muscle, of course. But lost any weight? NOPE. Gone down even one pant size? NOOOOOOOO.
Amanda, my 26 year old niece and I have set some new goals to work on our health. Now she is a former Marine, and in great shape even after having two kids. She wears booty shorts to my BodyPump classes, so you get the picture. She recognizes, however, that as she eats pretty much whatever she wants, that she needs to start making better choices so that when she gets older (yes, my age!) she won't be struggling.
Coupled with Alex's recommendations for me with pushups and other upper body work, Amanda and I are both not eating any carbs after 6pm. This is day three. The first night we were texting between 10-11:00 pm cause we were both hungry! We had done BP and then came home and ate some salad and steak. Not enough! Last night was easier and tonight alright. I ate my carbs this morning at breakfast and then a bit at lunch.
I am also cutting back on Starbucks. I know. It breaks my heart. I go every morning, several times a week I'll go twice a day, on my off days from teaching, or like yesterday, after a massage. It was really hard not to get one after my massage yesterday. I also am cutting out the artificial sweeteners, slowly, but my skinny vanilla latte has been my drink for years. Today I got a regular vanilla latte with fewer pumps. It was just fine. Sigh. One day at a time. Amanda is limiting her string cheese habit to one a day. We are both increasing our water consumption.
So when I decided to get on the scale this morning, it was to take a baseline from. To my surprise, I'm down two pounds from my lowest ever in the last 15 months, and down four pounds from the last time I weighed. That last number is now a 3.
So I feel a change is in the air. A breakthrough on the scale, a new found focus, a partner to do this with, and the fact that AIM is coming up in a month and I want to be leaner. Stronger.
Class tonight was packed, not as much as Tuesday but I got to talk to two new participants. They shared with me how much they liked my class but were so upset on Tuesday because they got there right at 6:30 and there were no weights or steps left. They went on the elliptical for 20 minutes, got disgusted and left! They need to talk to the manager but I let them know that they need to get to there 15 minutes early and then storm the room and grab a spot and equipment. It reminds me of Gold's gym and how we had to get there early and do the same thing in Alex's class.
I was in pain a good part of the day. Sore after my massage, maybe. Had lower and upper back pain and a tweaky knee. I was a bit concerned about class but I know from past experience that once I get started it all feels better. Well, BP79 is leaving it's mark. I felt a bit off tonight, made a couple of timing errors. Squats? I went down by just a bit and still almost wasn't able to complete the track. Biceps? Felt SO hard. Lunges? Disastrous. The floor was so slippery, I kept sliding, had to put the bar down and use my own body weight just to attempt to stay upright, and it was still damn hard. An off night I suppose, but I'm just glad it didn't happen while I was being observed! At least I'm not teaching Saturday so I have two days off from the gym and then three days in a row, as I'm covering one last class in Daly City for Madds. Eek. Bp79 three days in a row.
Tomorrow morning I am being observed in my classroom AGAIN. Sigh. I'm used to it but it still sucks. An outside facilitator plus the administration and several teachers will be watching. UGH. I just want Friday to be over.
After school Amanda and I will go to Fleet Feet and pick up our race day packets for the 5k we are doing in RWC with our girls on Saturday. We'll be pushing Alexis in her stroller and Jasmine and Cassie will walk or jog with us. Should be a beautiful day.
Off to ice my shoulders and back. Yes, BP 79 is leaving it's mark ;-)
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Slightly Improved Day
At least no one ate any paper or stabbed anyone with a stick. As was my day yesterday. The sticks were being used as swords and those boys were punished. Sigh. The paper consumption.....well....that was a first in my 10 years of teaching. One student, "D" came over and said he couldn't find the pictures he was cutting out for his math job. I asked him why not, when I had instructed the kids to cut out one picture at a time so as not to lose them. His response? "because "J" ate them! Huh? ATE??!! I called "J" over and asked him if he ate "D"'s paper (not believing he would actually admit to it) and he said yes! I said, "did it taste good? Why would you eat his papers?" and he said it tasted good. Oy. These kids are gonna make me crazy!
The good news of today was I received an email from Angie, telling me what an awesome BodyPump class I had last night! She attached an actual class evaluation form and I scored all "M's" which are Meets Expectations, and her comments are as follows: "Great technique and coaching cues - used just enough and at the appropriate time. Transitions were smooth and effective. You have the ability to truly connect with your class. You are a true teacher and ensure everyone is set up for success."
Yikes! I didn't even know they did evaluations. works for me, as I am used to it with my own teaching. In fact, going to be observed again on Friday for my day job. All i can say is if my students are anything like they were yesterday I'm screwed. Really.
Had a 90 minute massage today. Dana was surprised I just had one a week and a half ago, as I was pretty tight. Duh. Teaching so much that I could use one every week! She did comment on how tight my quads were, along with my upper and lower back and shoulders. Again, DUH. BodyPump 79 baby.
And lastly, a funny coincidence. The police officer that serves our campus and also was assigned my iPhone theft and I were chatting today and he reached over and tugged at my necklace, the Koru symbol that Alex brought back from his Les Mills trip. He asked me where I got it and I said my friend brought it back from New Zealand. He reached under his uniform collar and pulled out a necklace, a different symbol but a Maori one nonetheless. We had a nice chat about NZ, he had spent some time with the Maori tribe, but he'd never heard of Les Mills.
Who in the world goes to New Zealand and doesn't hear of Les Mills or take a class? Geez. No one I want to know ;-P
The good news of today was I received an email from Angie, telling me what an awesome BodyPump class I had last night! She attached an actual class evaluation form and I scored all "M's" which are Meets Expectations, and her comments are as follows: "Great technique and coaching cues - used just enough and at the appropriate time. Transitions were smooth and effective. You have the ability to truly connect with your class. You are a true teacher and ensure everyone is set up for success."
Yikes! I didn't even know they did evaluations. works for me, as I am used to it with my own teaching. In fact, going to be observed again on Friday for my day job. All i can say is if my students are anything like they were yesterday I'm screwed. Really.
Had a 90 minute massage today. Dana was surprised I just had one a week and a half ago, as I was pretty tight. Duh. Teaching so much that I could use one every week! She did comment on how tight my quads were, along with my upper and lower back and shoulders. Again, DUH. BodyPump 79 baby.
And lastly, a funny coincidence. The police officer that serves our campus and also was assigned my iPhone theft and I were chatting today and he reached over and tugged at my necklace, the Koru symbol that Alex brought back from his Les Mills trip. He asked me where I got it and I said my friend brought it back from New Zealand. He reached under his uniform collar and pulled out a necklace, a different symbol but a Maori one nonetheless. We had a nice chat about NZ, he had spent some time with the Maori tribe, but he'd never heard of Les Mills.
Who in the world goes to New Zealand and doesn't hear of Les Mills or take a class? Geez. No one I want to know ;-P
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
OH BOY
Here I go!!
I'm not even gonna blog about my LOUSY day. Let's just say the full moon, combined with the rain this morning that I did not expect....my students were AWFUL and they have all earned NO recess tomorrow. Enough said. They better behave tomorrow.
I spent a ton of $$ today but I'm so excited about what it's for. I was able to get registered for AIM 1, the Advanced Instructor Module to help improve my technique and classes! Sorry Pam :-) but it's in Mountain View and I'm happy to have been able to get in. This means I don't have to travel anywhere for it later on. November 13 is the date!
I also received confirmation of my registration for the Primary Group Instructor certification, should receive my study materials next week and then its time to study! December 17 will come fast enough. It will be one year since passing my BP module. I'm a little shocked at where i am at this point in my life......such a short journey, really, things have happened so fast. Mind spinning, and goodness knows I don't need my head spinning any more!
Class tonight was full but not as packed as last Tuesday. Last week there were a bunch of men that took all the large weights. Tonight there were still weights on the rack. Still at least 38 people, though, and BP79 was new for a lot of them.
After warmup, I noticed my Area Group X Manager Angie come in the back of the room and sit against the wall. Made me a bit nervous but I just did my thing, had fun, took Alex's feedback from Sunday and made improvements. My cueing was better, more concise and earlier, my singing just as awful and frequent and I had a blast. She was writing notes and watching. She stayed until lunges started. I'm told it's normal, a regular evaluation but she hasn't seen me teach since last January and that was at the beginning of my teaching and she only saw squats. I haven't heard anything yet so I'll be on pins and needles until I hear from her.
The exciting thing (for me, anyway) is that for the shoulder track, I did the entire first set of pushups on my toes, and the first 5 of the set at the end on my toes! Watch out......soon they will ALL be on my toes!
I'm not even gonna blog about my LOUSY day. Let's just say the full moon, combined with the rain this morning that I did not expect....my students were AWFUL and they have all earned NO recess tomorrow. Enough said. They better behave tomorrow.
I spent a ton of $$ today but I'm so excited about what it's for. I was able to get registered for AIM 1, the Advanced Instructor Module to help improve my technique and classes! Sorry Pam :-) but it's in Mountain View and I'm happy to have been able to get in. This means I don't have to travel anywhere for it later on. November 13 is the date!
I also received confirmation of my registration for the Primary Group Instructor certification, should receive my study materials next week and then its time to study! December 17 will come fast enough. It will be one year since passing my BP module. I'm a little shocked at where i am at this point in my life......such a short journey, really, things have happened so fast. Mind spinning, and goodness knows I don't need my head spinning any more!
Class tonight was full but not as packed as last Tuesday. Last week there were a bunch of men that took all the large weights. Tonight there were still weights on the rack. Still at least 38 people, though, and BP79 was new for a lot of them.
After warmup, I noticed my Area Group X Manager Angie come in the back of the room and sit against the wall. Made me a bit nervous but I just did my thing, had fun, took Alex's feedback from Sunday and made improvements. My cueing was better, more concise and earlier, my singing just as awful and frequent and I had a blast. She was writing notes and watching. She stayed until lunges started. I'm told it's normal, a regular evaluation but she hasn't seen me teach since last January and that was at the beginning of my teaching and she only saw squats. I haven't heard anything yet so I'll be on pins and needles until I hear from her.
The exciting thing (for me, anyway) is that for the shoulder track, I did the entire first set of pushups on my toes, and the first 5 of the set at the end on my toes! Watch out......soon they will ALL be on my toes!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Go To Bed Already
Staying up late is costing me money!
Just signed up for certification workshop....December 17 I will take an exam to become an AFAA certified Group X instructor! one more piece of fitness education under my belt.
Cripes. Now I have to STUDY.
Just signed up for certification workshop....December 17 I will take an exam to become an AFAA certified Group X instructor! one more piece of fitness education under my belt.
Cripes. Now I have to STUDY.
A Roadblock? Or Just a Technical Blip......
Ugh. I hate technology sometimes.
I just made the decision to sign up for a local (Mountain View) Les Mills Advanced Instructor Module (AIM 1) for BodyPump in November and the darned link won't let me. It took me awhile to make the decision to go ahead and put myself through it and now I can't. Sigh. Sent an email to LM West Coast so hopefully it's just a glitch and not already full. That would suck because they don't often do these trainings locally and if I do it later, I may have to travel. Which may hinder my decision to do it, depending on where it would be held. After yesterday's TT experience with Alex, I now have a bug up my butt to further my training and get better, deliver better classes for my participants. Even though I got lovely emails today from some saying how much they love my classes, there is always room for improvement.
Speaking of improvement. I forgot to mention yesterday when I was detailing the day that during push ups in the shoulder track, I went down on my knees after a few on my toes and Alex looked back at me, (he had the mic on) and yelled at me "GET ON YOUR TOES!!!" Damn I miss that kind of encouragement :) and pushing that fuels me forward. He gave me some exercises to do on my off days to help build up my strength. I just finished my first 3 sets of 10 pushups, 1 of those sets totally on my toes. YIPEE!!!! Turns out I've been going too low on the pushups, instead of getting to 90 degrees in my elbows. I have felt doing them on my knees was easier because I could get my chest closer to the ground. See? Technique makes all the difference. There are other things I need to do but I forgot so I need to get that info and begin working at it. No excuses for doing my pushups on my knees after all this time as an instructor, right Alex? LOL
I'm excited (what else is new) for class tomorrow night, mainly to put into play some of the suggestions Alex gave me. Talk less? Hmmm. Shorter, more concise cues? I can do it. Let people know that we are turning the corner before we get to the light. More at the middle of the block beforehand. Check. The only thing I don't think I can control is to sing less. Good thing he didn't tell me I HAD to!!
Challenge me, and I will perform. HA.
I just made the decision to sign up for a local (Mountain View) Les Mills Advanced Instructor Module (AIM 1) for BodyPump in November and the darned link won't let me. It took me awhile to make the decision to go ahead and put myself through it and now I can't. Sigh. Sent an email to LM West Coast so hopefully it's just a glitch and not already full. That would suck because they don't often do these trainings locally and if I do it later, I may have to travel. Which may hinder my decision to do it, depending on where it would be held. After yesterday's TT experience with Alex, I now have a bug up my butt to further my training and get better, deliver better classes for my participants. Even though I got lovely emails today from some saying how much they love my classes, there is always room for improvement.
Speaking of improvement. I forgot to mention yesterday when I was detailing the day that during push ups in the shoulder track, I went down on my knees after a few on my toes and Alex looked back at me, (he had the mic on) and yelled at me "GET ON YOUR TOES!!!" Damn I miss that kind of encouragement :) and pushing that fuels me forward. He gave me some exercises to do on my off days to help build up my strength. I just finished my first 3 sets of 10 pushups, 1 of those sets totally on my toes. YIPEE!!!! Turns out I've been going too low on the pushups, instead of getting to 90 degrees in my elbows. I have felt doing them on my knees was easier because I could get my chest closer to the ground. See? Technique makes all the difference. There are other things I need to do but I forgot so I need to get that info and begin working at it. No excuses for doing my pushups on my knees after all this time as an instructor, right Alex? LOL
I'm excited (what else is new) for class tomorrow night, mainly to put into play some of the suggestions Alex gave me. Talk less? Hmmm. Shorter, more concise cues? I can do it. Let people know that we are turning the corner before we get to the light. More at the middle of the block beforehand. Check. The only thing I don't think I can control is to sing less. Good thing he didn't tell me I HAD to!!
Challenge me, and I will perform. HA.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
fun, Fun, FUN!!!!!!!
Sigh. It's over but it was every bit as thrilling as I'd hoped it would be.
I walked into my first ever BodyPump class almost 4 years ago, parked in the back of the class and used baby weights. I knew as soon as the class was over that I'd be totally sore the next day. The instructor, as we all know, was the energetic Alex Kattar. He made the class enjoyable, informative, motivating and physically exhilarating. He still does.
Since losing almost 70 pounds and beginning my own journey to become a BodyPump instructor myself, I've gone through many ups and downs, gone over many bumps in the road, shed many tears of pain (emotional and physical), joy and sheer frustration. I look to Alex and others as my teachers, my mentors and my inspiration. I enjoy taking classes from them whenever I can. I continue to learn, grow and improve my technique. But there was one thing that kept eluding me.....and today, my dream came to fruition. It may not seem like THAT big a deal to others, or even Alex, but to me......it was beyond exciting. I've come full circle.
I got to team teach with Alex. To have this opportunity to teach the class that changed my life, side by side as peers with the person who was single handedly responsible for me discovering a love of exercise and as a result, changing my life......well it brought me to tears today. I remember the thrill of anticipating upcoming launches when at Gold's, when Alex and Jozi or Alex and Kimi would team teach and as a member it was so much fun. To now be a part of the Alex and _____ team teaching thing....... So freaking cool.
We arrived at the gym early to get logistics worked out with the microphones so we didn't have to switch back and forth. He has his own so this way we could just switch sound between the tracks we were teaching. I was assigned warm up and cool down, chest, triceps and lunges. Alex had squats, back, biceps, shoulders and abs. We figured out the stereo, walked to Starbucks and chilled over coffee and then came back to the gym. The Zumba instructor never showed so we had time to get in the room almost half an hour early and get set up and chat with members. I had secretly let our old Gold's crew know he was coming so we had several happy reactions to seeing Alex again! Jackie ran and hugged him so hard she almost knocked him over! For them, I know it was exciting because they have not had Alex teach them a class for 15 months. If you've ever taken a class from Alex, it's definitely one you miss when you don't have him anymore so I know they were excited.
Alex was kind enough to do the technique portion of class. Whenever we relaunch a new release, we spend time before class going over basic technique and even though the official launch was yesterday, I like to do my own for my special Sunday members. This class is near and dear to me because even though the Thursday class was my first, this Sunday class was created especially for me at the request of my awesome participants. I was happy to pass the baton to Alex because really, who knows technique better than Alex?
When it was time for me to do the warm up, I took a moment to really introduce Alex. I know many of these members either know Alex or have heard me talk about my journey, and my before/after pics and bio are hanging right outside the Group X room, but I briefly told them again about where I came from and talked about my first instructor, and then told them how honored I was to be teaching side by side with him today. They clapped as we hugged and I got a bit teary (because I'm a big sap)but then got right into the workout.
Thrilling. Just so much fun. I wanted to be out with the members experiencing an Alex class but I have to say, this just rocked. BodyPump 79 is a hard release, and to experience it next to my mentor, someone I look up to with great admiration and respect, well, it just doesn't get any better than this!
After class, several people came to me and commented what a great class it was. I'm sure it was obvious the difference in experience levels between the two of us but I truly don't think it mattered to them. They all know my kookiness and got to experience Alex's incredible drive and energy. What could be better than that?
We went for a quick lunch afterward and I got feedback from him on how I did. He has not seen me teach since he taped my final video assessment back in February so I was curious to know if I'd improved (I know I have) but to hear from a teachers perspective.....I knew I'd get some tips on what to work on. I made some mistakes, talk a bit too much (now THERE'S a surprise!!) and need to work on my cueing a bit. He didn't mention how much I sing, though ;-) All tips to make me a better instructor and as a result, deliver a better workout to my participants when in reality, that's what I'm there for.
All in all a great day. I truly enjoy spending time with Alex, it is so rare even though he doesn't live that far. He makes me laugh. I hope he will let me teach with him again someday. It really was nerve-racking at first but then, simply great fun.
Another FIRST in the books :-)
I walked into my first ever BodyPump class almost 4 years ago, parked in the back of the class and used baby weights. I knew as soon as the class was over that I'd be totally sore the next day. The instructor, as we all know, was the energetic Alex Kattar. He made the class enjoyable, informative, motivating and physically exhilarating. He still does.
Since losing almost 70 pounds and beginning my own journey to become a BodyPump instructor myself, I've gone through many ups and downs, gone over many bumps in the road, shed many tears of pain (emotional and physical), joy and sheer frustration. I look to Alex and others as my teachers, my mentors and my inspiration. I enjoy taking classes from them whenever I can. I continue to learn, grow and improve my technique. But there was one thing that kept eluding me.....and today, my dream came to fruition. It may not seem like THAT big a deal to others, or even Alex, but to me......it was beyond exciting. I've come full circle.
I got to team teach with Alex. To have this opportunity to teach the class that changed my life, side by side as peers with the person who was single handedly responsible for me discovering a love of exercise and as a result, changing my life......well it brought me to tears today. I remember the thrill of anticipating upcoming launches when at Gold's, when Alex and Jozi or Alex and Kimi would team teach and as a member it was so much fun. To now be a part of the Alex and _____ team teaching thing....... So freaking cool.
We arrived at the gym early to get logistics worked out with the microphones so we didn't have to switch back and forth. He has his own so this way we could just switch sound between the tracks we were teaching. I was assigned warm up and cool down, chest, triceps and lunges. Alex had squats, back, biceps, shoulders and abs. We figured out the stereo, walked to Starbucks and chilled over coffee and then came back to the gym. The Zumba instructor never showed so we had time to get in the room almost half an hour early and get set up and chat with members. I had secretly let our old Gold's crew know he was coming so we had several happy reactions to seeing Alex again! Jackie ran and hugged him so hard she almost knocked him over! For them, I know it was exciting because they have not had Alex teach them a class for 15 months. If you've ever taken a class from Alex, it's definitely one you miss when you don't have him anymore so I know they were excited.
Alex was kind enough to do the technique portion of class. Whenever we relaunch a new release, we spend time before class going over basic technique and even though the official launch was yesterday, I like to do my own for my special Sunday members. This class is near and dear to me because even though the Thursday class was my first, this Sunday class was created especially for me at the request of my awesome participants. I was happy to pass the baton to Alex because really, who knows technique better than Alex?
When it was time for me to do the warm up, I took a moment to really introduce Alex. I know many of these members either know Alex or have heard me talk about my journey, and my before/after pics and bio are hanging right outside the Group X room, but I briefly told them again about where I came from and talked about my first instructor, and then told them how honored I was to be teaching side by side with him today. They clapped as we hugged and I got a bit teary (because I'm a big sap)but then got right into the workout.
Thrilling. Just so much fun. I wanted to be out with the members experiencing an Alex class but I have to say, this just rocked. BodyPump 79 is a hard release, and to experience it next to my mentor, someone I look up to with great admiration and respect, well, it just doesn't get any better than this!
After class, several people came to me and commented what a great class it was. I'm sure it was obvious the difference in experience levels between the two of us but I truly don't think it mattered to them. They all know my kookiness and got to experience Alex's incredible drive and energy. What could be better than that?
We went for a quick lunch afterward and I got feedback from him on how I did. He has not seen me teach since he taped my final video assessment back in February so I was curious to know if I'd improved (I know I have) but to hear from a teachers perspective.....I knew I'd get some tips on what to work on. I made some mistakes, talk a bit too much (now THERE'S a surprise!!) and need to work on my cueing a bit. He didn't mention how much I sing, though ;-) All tips to make me a better instructor and as a result, deliver a better workout to my participants when in reality, that's what I'm there for.
All in all a great day. I truly enjoy spending time with Alex, it is so rare even though he doesn't live that far. He makes me laugh. I hope he will let me teach with him again someday. It really was nerve-racking at first but then, simply great fun.
Another FIRST in the books :-)
A Momentus Day.....
Yes, another one in my journey. I won't detail yet, but suffice it to say it's related to BodyPump and it's a FIRST. I'm beyond excited. It's something I've been waiting to do for what seems like forever. It's a "coming full circle" kind of event, one that had me up before 6:00am, after going to bed after midnight with anticipation. I'm nervous, excited, thrilled, and while I can't wait for it to happen, I'll be sad when it's over. I'm also sure that while there will be a bit of sadness at the end, it will be overshadowed by the thrill of the experience.
That's enough. Stay tuned...........
That's enough. Stay tuned...........
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Ready for a Great Weekend!
I'm beat and heading to bed but today started a great weekend. Cassie had her birthday party tonight. I cannot believe she is 6 years old. That's another post. One that will make me cry, likely!
I've run though the chorey for bodypump79, ready for the launch tomorrow and Sunday. I am simply veepry excited. I have several newbies showing up on both days. People that have been saying they will try the class and will finally do it! Others that are new to the gym and will tentatively venture into my class. I am excited to pass on the passion of this class to others and hope beyond hope that I am successful.
I hope to blog tomorrow or Sunday about how much fun this weekend was. It is momentus for me for other reasons, and I am shivering with anticipation!
Off to dream of great music, packed classes and a whole lotta fun! Cassie gets my full attention tomorrow after I launch and we are off to lunch and pedicures before her brothers soccer game in Danville :-)
I've run though the chorey for bodypump79, ready for the launch tomorrow and Sunday. I am simply veepry excited. I have several newbies showing up on both days. People that have been saying they will try the class and will finally do it! Others that are new to the gym and will tentatively venture into my class. I am excited to pass on the passion of this class to others and hope beyond hope that I am successful.
I hope to blog tomorrow or Sunday about how much fun this weekend was. It is momentus for me for other reasons, and I am shivering with anticipation!
Off to dream of great music, packed classes and a whole lotta fun! Cassie gets my full attention tomorrow after I launch and we are off to lunch and pedicures before her brothers soccer game in Danville :-)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
I'm Completely Incapable......
Of relaxing. I confirmed that today.
Oh, I can sit down. I can appear to relax. I can even nap. Sometimes. But fully relax and enjoy a day off? Not so much.
I was beginning to feel like I was coming down with something yesterday. I had just been telling my coworkers at lunch that I was feeling like this month I would need to take a day to just stay home under a blanket and do nothing but watch tv and nap all day. That it was too early in the school year to be feeling like i needed a day for ME. Then after school, when I was putzing around the classroom getting nothing done I realized I needed a day like that ASAP. I felt a headache coming on, felt almost feverish and warm but I wasn't, I just felt off and knew I needed to take the day now. I've been teaching a lot of BodyPump and after 6 days in a row, I was dead tired. I needed to take a day off when I didn't have anything planned after school. So I spent an hour doing sub plans, calling in my friend Lynne and relished in the fact that I was going to stay home.
I knew I could not let on to Cassie that I was going to stay home. She has recently gotten better with the morning transitions and does not cry anymore, so I knew if she knew I was going to be home she'd have a cow and want to stay home with me. That meant I had to get up and get dressed and appear to take Alex to school as usual, which I did. Franklin called in as well and we were just going to relax and enjoy the day, catch up on sleep, etc. Franklin got up and took Cassie to school and then we met back at home after I hit Starbucks. We sat down, he on the sofa and me in my comfy chair under a blanket, and put on a DVR show and......we both conked out. I woke a couple of times, but to my shock, when I fully woke up it was almost 1:00!! Um......really??!! I never sleep like that unless I'm sick! Franklin was out also, and I finally woke him up at almost 2:00!! At that point, Alex needed to be picked up as wednesdays are his early days, and Cassie gets out at 2:30. There went the day. Cripes. At least I knew I wasn't coming down with a cold. I was just sleep deprived.
Alex got a ride home, and although Franklin offered to get Cassie and take her to my moms so I could still rest, I knew she'd be thrilled if we both picked her up so off we went and she was very excited to see me. We went out to lunch (since the two of us hadn't eaten all day and we were starving). Then we went home, homework was completed, story read, and I could have sat down to read or do nothing but that inner demon in me came out and I looked around and could not sit because there was too much to do. I had sworn I would not do a dish or a load of laundry or anything remotely resembling housework on MY day off.
Someone needs to kick me in the butt. I couldn't do it. Immediately, as I picked up toys, vacuumed the floor, looked around and saw the neglect that has taken over my house since school began and life got intensely crazy......I felt my blood pressure rise. Every little thing I found out of place made me crazy, and trust me, there's a lot out of place right now. Putting the finishing touches on Cassie's birthday party for Friday night also had to be done, thinking about the launch this weekend.....and then remembering that I had to leave the house again because Alex had to be at school to be a part of the incoming freshman parent night (he was presenting on a student panel to the parents as Junior Class VP) and needed to be there from 6:30-8:00. Luckily the president lives across the street and so she gave him a ride and after Franklin left for soccer practice, Cassie and I left for mom's to drop off something and then to the school because I wanted to see him on the panel.
Cassie and I get to a packed school and it was standing room only in the Performing Arts Center. I saw the kids waiting to enter for their part and found out this thing wouldn't end till around 8:30. Sigh. So much for getting home earlier so I could finish all the crap that still needed to be done. I've decided to give up making lunches for the boys. They are big enough and I need one less thing to do in the evenings. Otherwise I'm going to explode.
I videotaped Alex's intro speech and he was a bit nervous but I'm proud of how he did. He also answered a question about soccer, homework and AVID. He and his friends did a great job. It's so strange to see how far they have all come and how quickly they are growing. They mentioned the middle schools they attended and it seems like yesterday when their voices were cracking and they looked so mature up there. Next year? Graduation. Damn I'm getting old.
So my whole point of this entry is I am incapable of relaxing. I mean, even though it was not a wasted day off by any means, as I caught up on some obviously much needed sleep. It wasn't enough to just enjoy that fact. No, I had to still do the kind of chores that make me cranky, get stressed about how packed my evenings always seem to be, and let that stress come out and piss everyone around me off. I wanted a day where I didn't have to leave the house. I didn't
get it and that makes me resentful. Natural, right? No, I need a better way to handle the frustration that comes with everyday life and how to manage my time. Yes, exercise helps me immensely with this, but that is also part of the problem. Teaching three nights a week, although temporary, has left little time at home to do my wifely/motherly duties. Usually it's twice a week during the school week. But it's not something I'm willing to give up and so I need to find a better way to handle it all.
I'm also about to add a bit more to my plate with some certification studying. Important for me moving forward but stressful thinking about the time I need to put aside to study. Sigh.
Relax? Guess that will have to wait till I'm dead.
Oh, I can sit down. I can appear to relax. I can even nap. Sometimes. But fully relax and enjoy a day off? Not so much.
I was beginning to feel like I was coming down with something yesterday. I had just been telling my coworkers at lunch that I was feeling like this month I would need to take a day to just stay home under a blanket and do nothing but watch tv and nap all day. That it was too early in the school year to be feeling like i needed a day for ME. Then after school, when I was putzing around the classroom getting nothing done I realized I needed a day like that ASAP. I felt a headache coming on, felt almost feverish and warm but I wasn't, I just felt off and knew I needed to take the day now. I've been teaching a lot of BodyPump and after 6 days in a row, I was dead tired. I needed to take a day off when I didn't have anything planned after school. So I spent an hour doing sub plans, calling in my friend Lynne and relished in the fact that I was going to stay home.
I knew I could not let on to Cassie that I was going to stay home. She has recently gotten better with the morning transitions and does not cry anymore, so I knew if she knew I was going to be home she'd have a cow and want to stay home with me. That meant I had to get up and get dressed and appear to take Alex to school as usual, which I did. Franklin called in as well and we were just going to relax and enjoy the day, catch up on sleep, etc. Franklin got up and took Cassie to school and then we met back at home after I hit Starbucks. We sat down, he on the sofa and me in my comfy chair under a blanket, and put on a DVR show and......we both conked out. I woke a couple of times, but to my shock, when I fully woke up it was almost 1:00!! Um......really??!! I never sleep like that unless I'm sick! Franklin was out also, and I finally woke him up at almost 2:00!! At that point, Alex needed to be picked up as wednesdays are his early days, and Cassie gets out at 2:30. There went the day. Cripes. At least I knew I wasn't coming down with a cold. I was just sleep deprived.
Alex got a ride home, and although Franklin offered to get Cassie and take her to my moms so I could still rest, I knew she'd be thrilled if we both picked her up so off we went and she was very excited to see me. We went out to lunch (since the two of us hadn't eaten all day and we were starving). Then we went home, homework was completed, story read, and I could have sat down to read or do nothing but that inner demon in me came out and I looked around and could not sit because there was too much to do. I had sworn I would not do a dish or a load of laundry or anything remotely resembling housework on MY day off.
Someone needs to kick me in the butt. I couldn't do it. Immediately, as I picked up toys, vacuumed the floor, looked around and saw the neglect that has taken over my house since school began and life got intensely crazy......I felt my blood pressure rise. Every little thing I found out of place made me crazy, and trust me, there's a lot out of place right now. Putting the finishing touches on Cassie's birthday party for Friday night also had to be done, thinking about the launch this weekend.....and then remembering that I had to leave the house again because Alex had to be at school to be a part of the incoming freshman parent night (he was presenting on a student panel to the parents as Junior Class VP) and needed to be there from 6:30-8:00. Luckily the president lives across the street and so she gave him a ride and after Franklin left for soccer practice, Cassie and I left for mom's to drop off something and then to the school because I wanted to see him on the panel.
Cassie and I get to a packed school and it was standing room only in the Performing Arts Center. I saw the kids waiting to enter for their part and found out this thing wouldn't end till around 8:30. Sigh. So much for getting home earlier so I could finish all the crap that still needed to be done. I've decided to give up making lunches for the boys. They are big enough and I need one less thing to do in the evenings. Otherwise I'm going to explode.
I videotaped Alex's intro speech and he was a bit nervous but I'm proud of how he did. He also answered a question about soccer, homework and AVID. He and his friends did a great job. It's so strange to see how far they have all come and how quickly they are growing. They mentioned the middle schools they attended and it seems like yesterday when their voices were cracking and they looked so mature up there. Next year? Graduation. Damn I'm getting old.
So my whole point of this entry is I am incapable of relaxing. I mean, even though it was not a wasted day off by any means, as I caught up on some obviously much needed sleep. It wasn't enough to just enjoy that fact. No, I had to still do the kind of chores that make me cranky, get stressed about how packed my evenings always seem to be, and let that stress come out and piss everyone around me off. I wanted a day where I didn't have to leave the house. I didn't
get it and that makes me resentful. Natural, right? No, I need a better way to handle the frustration that comes with everyday life and how to manage my time. Yes, exercise helps me immensely with this, but that is also part of the problem. Teaching three nights a week, although temporary, has left little time at home to do my wifely/motherly duties. Usually it's twice a week during the school week. But it's not something I'm willing to give up and so I need to find a better way to handle it all.
I'm also about to add a bit more to my plate with some certification studying. Important for me moving forward but stressful thinking about the time I need to put aside to study. Sigh.
Relax? Guess that will have to wait till I'm dead.
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