Worst. Week. Ever. and 30 before 30.

Let's recap...

Sunday night I sliced my thumb so deeply that it bled for over three hours.  I was opening a can of water chestnuts to make a veggie stir fry.  Apparently eating healthy is going to be the death of me! I knew I probably needed stitches but I was NOT going to the ER unless it kept bleeding or got worse to a point where I couldn't control the bleeding. 

I went in to work Monday morning and it was still oozing on and off.  I tried to call my doctor but kept getting put on hold.  I wound up going to see another doctor to get a tetanus shot.  He said my finger needed stitches but because it happened more than 6 hours before he couldn't stitch it.  Got my shot, directions to keep it clean and dry and sent on my way home. I taught a kick butt class that night and hoped that keeping my arm moving would make it not hurt the way tetanus shots normally do.

Tuesday my arm was a bit sore but it didn't hurt.  I was so pleased! Things started to go south about 10am though.  I wound up with hives down my neck and over to my shoulder.  I thought it was stress but then it dinged - it was a minor allergic reaction to the tetanus.  I know this because it's on my shoulder and neck next to my injection site.  Brilliant.  At least it was minor and was easily controlled by benadryl. Sarah and I had two amazing hours of Zumba Tuesday night.  That helped to make me feel better more than anything.  Woo endorphin rush! I did end the night by bashing my head against my bedside table giving me a knot on the head and a bad headache.

Wednesday is when the bottom dropped out.  At about 2 p.m. the knot in my arm from the tetanus got huge, red, swollen and was hot to the touch,.  I was not pleased. It started to hurt to move my arm to answer my phone.  I had a class to teach and a TurboKick class to take and I wasn't giving in to the stupid injection so I went! And I regretted it - instantly!  I probably would have been okay with just the Zumba but that hour of TK is my hour! I love that class, I love the instructor, and I love just being a student.  (Oddly enough, though, I want to get certified for TK now. LOL)  During Zumba one of my students started calling me "Nemo" because I had one good arm and one that wouldn't go above shoulder height.  It was still a great class, though.  I love the crew at the studio! Ended the night with a big dose of motrin and a hot compress on my arm. 

Thursday morning my arm was still killing me and it showed very few signs of getting better.  I medicated and did another warm compress and tried to force my arm to move as much as possible.  I knew holding it still was a bad idea.  I taught Zumba at the Y and then headed to the studio where I goofed off for the last half of Sarah's class before teaching Hip Hop Hustle.  I was in agony because moving my arm was difficult but I was so high on life it didn't really matter.  My arm was throbbing but it was moving easier than it was the night before and I pushed through to teach the entire HHH class. 

Then on Friday I hated myself for doing so.  My arm was killing me and then I had to go and add insult to injury - it was time for my depo shot.  So now I have a bum right arm, a sore spot on my left hip and I'm feeling gross all over.  I decided I wanted to go out to dinner and splurge! Nachos! Buffalo chicken sandwich! A light beer! A tasty molten chocolate cake! When I got home I was sitting on the couch and something in my lower back popped and I nearly puked it all up.  I was scared I popped a disc out of place or broke something. I took meds and went to bed before hurting myself further.

This morning  was feeling better but I was still in pain in my hip and my shoulder but at least my back wasn't hurting! Zumba this morning was fabulous and I've spent the day grocery shopping and then taking a much needed almost 3 hour nap.  Now, of course, this has me worried.  It could be more post injection grossness or it could be the tip of me getting the flu.  Normally I get hit with the exhaustion first and then the other symptoms.  Going to take it easy tonight and pray I feel better in the morning.

About a week ago someone on the Powder Blue instructor Facebook page mentioned she was doing a 30 before 30 list - 30 things to do before her 30th birthday which is next January.  I thought this was a great idea! Since I've only got till October I'm going to push to do all 30 before then but I'll be happy if I finish the list before 2013 starts.  One of things I added to the list - get TurboKick certified.  Other things on the list include: conquering my fear of sand and walking barefoot on the beach, baking a cake completely from scratch, reading some books, watching some movies I never got around to, various other fitness related things.  I'll be updating as time goes on when I cross things off.

Has anyone out there done anything similar?

Just sharing the glee...

For those of you who follow me on Facebook - you've heard me squee about this before.  I had my Peak Health appointment yesterday and I am THRILLED at what I learned.

Since my previous appointment 3 months ago I've lost 14 pounds and almost 2% body fat!!!

Talk about validation! That's HUGE! I knew the weight would be down but the nurse was really harping on the body fat percentage so a leap of almost 2% tells me I really am gaining muscle while burning off the fat.

Celebration time!!! WOOHOO!

It almost made up for the fact that my tetanus shot from Monday made me a bad instructor last night.  Having only one good arm (the right arm, where they gave the shot, hurt to move above shoulder level) to cue with and to participate with made for an awkward and hilarious class.

So terribly excited to see what she says in another 3 months!

Weird Weather Blues and a Zumba High

This morning I slept in.  It was glorious... I woke up at 7am and stayed in bed until like 10:30.  My face felt heavy and I just didn't want to stand up.

This wonky weather is going to be the death of my sinuses.  It all started Friday...

Friday I felt okay when I woke up - then I stepped outside. I sneezed my way through my morning routine, got to work, took my claritin and hoped I would feel better.  So not how it worked.  Walked outside to head out to lunch and felt like I got hit in the face with a baseball bat.  I sneezed and hacked through lunch.  After lunch I took a second dose of claritin still no relief.   Taking the second dose of claritin early made my blood pressure go sky high.  I felt awful and wound up leaving work a little early to take a short nap before heading out for my evening plans.

I threw a dose of Benadryl on board to help with the sneezing fits from hell, took a cat nap, and headed to Apex for a master class fundraiser with Matt and Sarah.

Matt and I get scandalous!

Gratuitous cell phone self portrait of the two-headed Zumba monster - Sam and Sarah!

Being in a room with Loretta Bates,  Erica Dixon, or Renee Picket is humbling when it's just one of them.  Any combination of the two? Beyond amazing.  Back in November I went to a master class with Renee and Loretta and I thought I was going to die from the intensity.  Friday night it was Erica and Loretta and again my tail was properly whooped.

Renee & Loretta - Double Trouble MC 11/4/11

Erica and Loretta - Double Trouble MC 1/20/12

The above pictures were taken only a little over 2 months apart and I can gladly say I see a difference in how I look.  (Totally sad I didn't get a pic with Erica this time around! Next time!!!)

I had an amazing time dancing, got to see a few faces I hadn't seen since my B1 certification last June and just enjoyed getting my tail kicked by two utterly fantastic instructors! I am so inspired by their presence.  Every time I get to take class with any one of them I am reminded why I fell in love with Zumba to begin with and I feel the need to up my game and bring the fire back to my classes.  

Saturday morning I got up and I was so horribly sore I didn't want to move but I was excited to bring that passion from the night before to our class at the studio.  It was hard to get going but once I got class under way I felt on top of the world.

I spent Saturday afternoon walking around Raleigh with Marsh, Matt, Chip, Ryan and Katie.  We had dinner at a fantastic Irish pub and it was fantastic.  I was snotty the whole time and 3 doses of Benadryl were required to keep me functioning.  Dinner was a scandalous mix of carbohydrates and I even had a beer! Naughty!

Today when I woke up I could feel my face was heavy from snot and I didn't want to move.  "Sleeping in" helped.  I may have been awake but I was lazy and in my bed warm under my blankets.

When I finally got up we went out to lunch and I ate all the protein! At El Tap, our local Mexican joint, I got ChoriPollo.  Two chicken breasts covered in red sauce, a smattering of cheese, and spicy chorizo.  I got it was refried beans and bypassed all the tortillas.  I was full all day! I had to force down a snack before Zumba. I'm still not even all that hungry.  I'm only eating so that my meds don't make me sick!

Class this afternoon was fantastic! 75 minutes, 32 people, lots of giggles! I swear, no matter how bad I feel, I always feel better after a good class. The energy of the students, the sweat, the general atmosphere - it's therapeutic!

About to try out the base Rockin' Body workout after I hang up some laundry and get to bed early.

Wednesday is my big appointment with Peak Health - hoping the nurse will be pleased with my weight loss progress.  If not I may have a nervous breakdown!

Who, other than me, has the worst allergies in the late fall and winter?  I can't be the only one who suffers like this!

Am I not important enough?

There are a number of people in my life who keep making snide comments about how Zumba is my life.  That's far from the truth.

It is a huge part of my life:

• It's a hobby. 
• It's exercise. 
• It's a job.  
• It's social interation.  
• It's physical release. 
• It's an emotional safe place.
• It's something I happen to be really fricken good at! 

I know I talk about it a lot but it's one of the important things in my life that I feel comfortable talking about at great length.  I can't talk about a lot of stuff that goes on at work.  Marshall would throttle me if I were to go in to detail about stuff in our relationship.

Plus, Zumba's just FUN and far more interesting than either of the above topics.

So imagine how hurt I felt when I saw the following on my tumblr feed.

This made my blood boil and really made me feel like an awful person.  

I do everything in my power to be supportive of those around me.  I go to historical reenactments and various history related things for Marshall.  I have tried to get in to various yoga, barre, and advanced workouts to do them with Katie to share in her love of them. I played WoW to hang out with Katie. I supported Matt running his first 10K and wound up running my first 5K in the process.  I am willing to go anywhere and do anything with my friends to support them in their interests....

So why is me having something that's my own a bad thing?

Marshall has never once come to a Zumba class or come to support me when I've done a Zumbathon or Zumba demo somewhere. (He actually went to one once, slept in the car the whole time!)  Matt comes to class occasionally.  Katie has come three or four times.  I know it's not for everyone but I expect the same respect for my hobbies as I have for theirs.They don't have to like it but they need to respect it. 


It's been bugging me for a while how many people tell me I need to stop doing Zumba or stop working out because I'm doing it too much.  People who play Minecraft for hours a day. Or WoW. Or run on their elliptical. Or browse the internet. Or watch TV.


All in all Zumba doesn't even take up much time in my day.  1-2 hours most days, sometimes more as I learn new choreography or get ready for big events.  I do have friends from Zumba who I talk about it with a lot - it's a common interest!  And I talk about it a lot on Facebook - that's because I'm having fun with it and I want to share it with people.   Also, it's marketing for it since it's, you know, my other job.


Fitness became a priority to me about 2 years ago. I know it may be hard for people to understand that but priorities do change.  Two years ago my life was my close group of friends.  They were all I had and I made it my goal to keep everyone happy and every one close.  Then I got burned out and realized I needed to put myself first in some respect or I really was going to die at an early age. 

When I got laid off in 2010 I took a step back and reassessed my life and made a decision to take care of myself before I worried about others.  It was time to be selfish.  When I found Zumba it was like the planets aligned and I found something that I liked, that fit my needs, and that I was good at.  It was my escape.

I don't pass up social events, I don't avoid social interaction for Zumba.  The only thing that's changed is that I have an interest that's mine and mine alone.

I don't want to be made to feel bad for having something that's mine. 

If people continue to make me feel that way it may be time to re-assess who my friends really are.  I refuse to take a back seat in my life again.  

Hip Hip Hooray for Hip Hop Hustle!

I did it.  I DID IT! I taught a Hip Hop Hustle class tonight and it was fantastic! I was so scared going in to tonight but I am 100% walking on air now.

Me and 33 fellow Hustlers!

I left work early to go teach Zumba at the YMCA tonight and I pushed myself hard there to sweat out as much nervous energy as I could. 

I got to the studio, changed in to a new set of workout clothes and paced.  I was so scared I was actually sick to my stomach.  I was really scared I was going to puke right before hand. 

So many of my friends showed up to be supportive and so many new faces came to see what the Hustle was all about. 

I did a warm up that walked the class through the most used Hip Hop Hustle moves and then we moved right on in to Block 1.  They picked it up so fast that I wound up getting through all but the last 32 counts of Block 2!  They kicked so much tail that we just busted right on through. 

A personal victory? There's part of Block 1 that has a criss cross jump that killed me during training and scared me crap out of me.  I pushed through and aside from a few times where I turned around to watch the class do it, I did it over and over through the whole class.  I was really afraid that I was going to need to modify it so much more than I did.

I had an amazing time and I can only hope the class had half the fun I did.  I also burned nearly 100 calories during class! Which is AWESOME.

I'm so utterly out of my mind happy right now.  I wanted to feel like this has a chance of taking off, of being something we can get on the schedule more at the Studio and at the YMCA.  I love Chalene Johnsons formats and I want to see them succeed in our little town.

I am totally excited to teach it again next Thursday night.  We're gonna get to the end of Block 2 and maybe even do a mini video of the two blocks together the week after that. 

Gratuitous Silly Picture!

New Year's Resolutions - Dirty Words!?!?

It's no secret that losing weight or getting fit or getting healthier are a staple of the new year's resolutions.  Goodness knows, it's something that's always on my mind - year after year after year.

The fact is that, this year, I'm starting to hear "New Year's Resolutions" as three very dirty words.

Firstly, the next person who sees me after a long hard workout and asks, in any form, "Is that your New Year's resolution?" just may get punched.  My issues with this go back to early 2011. 

It was late in January and I was riding the high of having just run my first 5k and was doing 3-4 Zumba classes a week and weight lifting. I was at the Y, minding my own sweaty business, when this guy came over to me and asked, with incredible derision in his voice "New Year's Resolution?" He smirked at me and gave me a look that said "You won't be here in another week."

It really hurt me that someone who I had never seen around the gym at that point felt it was okay to assume that I was there for the short term.  It almost made me want to go home and quit.  Then again, it made me angry as all hell and made me want to be there every day to prove this jerk-face wrong.

Now that it's the start of 2012 and the Y is once again flooded with new members and members who had fallen out of the habit of coming to work out, I'm seeing that attitude again from a lot of people and it hurts me.

I do go out of my way to make new folks feel welcome, to take the fear out of their first class.  There have been new folks that I have seen peering in the doors during class but not quite coming in to shake it with us that I've talked to after class or before class on other days.  I try to be supportive of everyone I meet and if they come to my class and don't love it I suggest other classes that might be more their style.  I do whatever I can to help bring people in to the Y, to the studio and to the community center.

I know how annoying it can be to be unable to find a parking space at the gym or to be squeezed out of "my spot" in a class because of new students.  I can see how people might feel put out because they're used to jogging on the treadmill and they're all packed now and you may have to wait 30 minutes to get your run in.  It's a period of adjustment - for the new folks who are out of their element and for the regulars who are set in their routine.

I want to see everyone succeed in their health related goals whether they're on day 1 or day 101 or 1001.

I didn't make any real resolutions this year.  The goals I set were set back in October when I did the Chalene Johnson 30 Day Challenge.  They change on a weekly basis as I meet some goals quickly and others just stop being a priority.  Yes, there are big goals I want to reach this year but it's a commitment to myself.

Whether I renew that commitment on January 1, 2013 or whether it doesn't change from now until 2014 I know where I got my start.  The same place all of these other new folks did - with one day at the gym and a dream in my heart.

Shaking it in 2012!

The first week of 2012 has been full of insanity and I couldn't love it more!

After the nutritionist meeting on Tuesday I tried very hard to follow her calorie splits and get in the 3 meals and 3 snacks that she wanted.  I have to admit, I feel more even already.  I don't wake up feeling queasy and nauseated and that's a first for me!

My workouts this week were insane and awesome at the same time.  Been doing my Turbo Jam workouts where time permits (20 minute express x 3 this week!) but have been on a Zumba binge it seems.

Wednesday night I hit up TurboKick and then taught an hour of Zumba.
Thursday was a Zumba marathon.  I taught an hour at the YMCA, ran across the road to the studio, taught the last 35 minutes of a class there and then had a 30 minute break before teaching another hour of Zumba.
Friday was my rest day and woah did I need it!
Saturday morning I did an hour of Zumba and my body was still not quite over the 2.5 hours on Thursday night.  My quads!!!!!
Today I am teaching a 75 minute Zumba class and working on my Hip Hop Hustle stuff.

Scared/Freaked Out Rant - GO!

I'm teaching my first Hip Hop Hustle class on Thursday night! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Today I'm making cheat sheets to post on the mirrors to keep me on point and practicing as much as possible.  I'm totally scared out of my mind.  Thankfully, I know Sarah will be at my side and Sue and Daphne are going to be there.  I know I won't be alone but it's the first time HHH will have been taught in Wilson! That's SCARY! I want it to take hold and be successful. One of my goals is to be teaching at least 2 HHH classes a week by the end of 2012.

I'm reviewing the moves and drilling the music in to my head and hope to slam the class out of the park.  I know I can do it! I know I can!

End Rant.

I'm also in the process of cleaning the house a bunch today.  I vacuumed, I organized, I threw things out.  I did dishes and laundry is currently running. I went grocery shopping and got everything set up for food for the week.  I'm going to get this house under control! I will!

I've got a busy week ahead of me.  Professionally I'm finishing user acceptance testing on my first big project ever.  I started working on this in August of 2012.  The program is written and should be implemented at the end of the month. EEEEE!

Then I've got 7 Zumba classes and 1 Hip Hop Hustle to teach/co-teach and one TurboKick class to rock.  And the mornings will be my solo TurboJam time. 

I'm on pattern, on schedule and on track to make 2012 the best year possible.

The New Nutritionist...

So much more awesome and sane than my last nutritionist. 

Some back story.  Last year, at the advice of my primary care physician and my Peak Health nurse I went to see a nutritionist.  She was just over a town and came highly recommended.

The woman was PSYCHOTIC.  Okay, not psychotic, but certainly extreme in her thoughts on nutrition. the diet she wanted me on?

• Sugar free
• Gluten Free
• Dairy Free
• Carbohydrate Free
• Low Fat

She wanted me, when all was said and done, to only be eating lean meats and non starchy vegetables.  I never expressed any interest in a paleo diet... but that's where she wanted to take me.  I tried gluten free, sugar free and low carb and I never felt even but she kept pushing it.

Eventually I took myself out of the situation and went solo trying to find the right mix for me.

When I saw my endocrinologist in September and expressed my concerns over the weight not coming off fast enough she said to me "You need to work out less so you can eat less.  If you eat more than 1500 calories you won't lose weight."  I said oooooooohhhhh-kay.  I asked for a referral to another nutrionist.

I finally saw her today and she is AWESOME.  First off -  I lose 14 pounds since September according to the doctors office scale.  She said "No one loses 14 pounds over Christmas!"  I giggled. Secretly I did a dance.  I weigh too often at home and sometimes lose sight of the big picture.

When I told her what my exercise schedule entailed she stared at my blankly before going "Wow.  So that's not an issue." I showed her my bodybugg and my WW log.  I told her what I was eating, switches I had already made, expressed to her that I am a self avowed carb-whore.

Take aways from the appointment?  Her only concerns were that I'm not eating at regular enough intervals and that I'm too damn concerned about carbs.  She told me to get that other nutritionist out of my head.  I was doing fine and as long as I wasn't feeling the carbohydrate fog after eating I was fine.

Today I did my 20 minute Turbo Jam workout and 2 hours of Zumba.  I am sore as all get out and ready for some serious sleep!