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!!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
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
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