Good Habits ... One day at a time!

Last week, Mrs. Fatass and I got together and put a call out to our friends and our Zumba Family to get our brains working on our habits outside of the gym.

So how did I do in week one? Not too shabby. Hit my water everyday - and I'd been very slack on that! And ok on eating what I planned. Especially bad on the weekends but now I know where I'm headed and can work on sticking to it!

How about you all?

Also! Don't forget to grab the Zumba app this week and start donating to the Great Calorie Drive!!

A humbling experience...

First, let me say thank you to everyone who has reached out to me since my last post with words of caring, compassion and offers of ears and shoulders if they are needed. Every single well wish and offer has reminded me that no matter how alone I feel ... I am loved and I am part of something special. Two something's, actually - the Zumba community and the FitBloggin community.

Much love to you all. <3

So today I was part of a wonderful event that brought me home to the basics of fitness and left me feeling full of joy and contentment.

A while back a student from the YMCA gave my name to a contact with the North Carolina Deaf Blind Association. They wanted to do a Zumba fundraiser for their summer camp this year - I figured we'd do a normal Zumbathon and it'd be awesome. What it became was truly amazing,

Today we did an all day Funky Fun Fitness day. Multiple, concurrent, fitness classes for all ages and levels of fitness. The schedule went like this:

Block 1 - Teleasha did Zumba and I did Zumbatomic.
Block 2 - Val did Zumba while Sue did a chair Zumba Gold class.
Block 3 - Sarah did Zumba while I did Zumbatomic.
Block 4 - Supposed to be a karate demo and class. I wound up teaching Zumba.
Block 5 - I did TurboKick with Brianna taught Yoga.

We started at 9:30 and I finished up at 3:30. Owwwwwwwwwww!

It was amazing. All of the classes were fun and energetic. It was just - incredible. It was also fully, totally and amazingly exhausting. I've been barely functional since getting home.

Tonight I've been trying to chill out, veg out, and turn off. But my head and heart are just out of control. There was just so much love and community in that room today. I even picked up some new sign language! It was just a joy to participate in this event.

I am so honored to have been there, teaching and learning from the Deaf/Blind community. It's rekindled my desire to keep learning how to be a better instructor, to be a better community member, and to learn ASL and Spanish.

When I was younger I picked up a bit from my sister when she was taking classes to be an interpreter and I was getting close to fluent in Spanish in college. Now to dust off one skills and learn more!!!

Simply wild...and Simply Gross!

The last 14 days have been full of wild and crazy things.

Let's talk Zumba - on the 12th Trio Fitness did an AWESOME Commit to Fit master class. 90 minutes of Zumba to commit to health and wellness in 2013.  We had instructors come in from around town and everyone got to show off their moves.  It was so great to watch other instructors and learn from their skills!

It was a great event and I loved every second of it.  I love all these ladies... and everyone else there!

So much love.

We are ramping up for the 50 Shades of Sweat master class on February 1st. Big event with the awesome Adriana Carr.

SOOOOO excited! Can't wait.

On the everything else front - I had the unhappy luck to catch the FLU on the heels of the Commit to it event.  That night I started to feel gross.  I checked my temperature at around 8pm. Fever just below 100.

Crap.

Woke up Sunday - fever near 102.

DOUBLE CRAP.  Had to cancel all my classes, find coverage for the YMCA class and then slept until 2:30pm, watched some football and went back to bed.. nearly dead.

Monday morning - 101. CRRRRRRAAAAAAAAP! Stayed home from work.  Slept.  Started to feel better in the late afternoon.  Drove myself insane with mundane things because I knew I wasn't well enough to do anything out of my bed or off the couch.

Gained an addiction to Candy Crush Saga.  Reignited my addiction to Chuzzle and Bejeweled.  Spent a lot of time with My Little Pony.

It sucked.

Tuesday I felt better, went back to work and got back on my workout schedule.  BUT... there was a hiccup Tuesday morning.

Here's where those who are squeamish should stop reading. This part of my homage to Mrs. Fatass and her willingness to share the good, the bad, and the bodily functions...

After being sick... does anyone else CRAVE a hot shower? A long, hot, shower to make all the ick be totally gone from your body?

That's all I wanted. A long, hot, cleansing shower.

That is SO not what happened.

I get in the shower, wash my face and start soaping up my hair and WHAM.

The room went dark, spinning out of control, dry heaving, knees weak, chest pounding.  I may or may not have lost consciousness. BUT, only a little bit.

I stumbled out of the shower after vaguely remembering to get the soap out of my hair, turn the water off about halfway, throw on my robe and stumble to the bed where I collapsed and tried to remember how to breathe and blink and remember that my feet were attached to my legs.

There are pieces of about 10 minutes that were missing.  I know that time is missing because in the process... I pooped in the shower.  All over the shower.  I found this out 20 minutes later when I started to feel better went to turn the shower off.

The fiancee was disgusted and didn't know what to do. He hid from the whole thing.  This proves that the decision to NOT have kids is a smart one.  I cleaned up the shower, got back in to finish my shower, added some bleach to the shower floor and curtain, rinsed it all one more time and got ready for work.

And yes, I went to work and I taught Zumba.  Lesson of that day? Shit happens... don't let it ruin the rest of a perfectly good day.

5 days in and going strong.

2013 is off to a whirlwind start for me! In 5 days I've run/walked a 5k and taught 9 classes - 7 Zumba classes, 1 Sentao and 1 TurboKick class! My very first TurboKick class! How crazy is that!?

Three of those were today, in fact. I started out with an hour of TurboKick, then did an hour of Zumba with Sarah, and ended with an hour of low impact option Zumba at the YMCA. Long morning, but it was worth it!

Now I'm sitting here pondering food for the week. I'm probably going to make veggie trays for lunch this week. Thinking about doing vegetarian baked beans, carrots, peas, and maybe lima beans. Maybe do some days with sweet potatoes instead of baked beans. Just to try something different.

Tomorrow I've got another 3 hour of Zumba day. Sentao, Zumba or Zumbatomic and then my 75 minute class at the YMCA. I love my crazy Sundays!

Today was not the best day for food, I gave in and had three pieces of pizza for dinner. Mindless eating while watching football. Oh well... I'll work it off tomorrow.

Now to keep working on my budget and organizing stuff more. Getting close to feeling comfortable with my finances and my savings goals.

Now if I can just get the boy on board!

Starting 2013 off RIGHT

So, tomorrow is it... the last day of 2012.  I get up, go to work, spend the evening with friends and wake up in a new year.
I may try to stay up and ring in the new year but it would be difficult... I have a 5k to run in the morning.  At 9am.  And it's an hour away. Oof.
Oh well.

Today I went grocery shopping and restocked on all the healthy stuff I need.  Then I made a giant pot of stew in the crock pot to allow me to eat well for lunch the 4 days I work this week.  Then I worked out, and worked on flash cards for AFAA Primary Group Exercise and my TurboKick classes.

I paid bills and worked on my budget.  I updated my calendar.  I got my eyebrows waxed.

I taught an awesome, intense, sweaty hour and fifteen minutes of Zumba.

I ate a delicious dinner and FroYo with my best friends. We watched football and hung out.

I finally feel like I've got things in hand.  I have a plan and I'm working the plan and it's working for me.

In the new year I'm doing a couple of cool things.  First up DietBet!

Roni - who I adore - is doing a DietBet with her readers and the internet at large.  It's awesome! I'm totally stoked. And scared.  12 pounds is a lot for me to lose in a month.  I'm going to do my damnedest though! I WANT TO BE IN THE WINNERS CIRCLE!

Then,  Dani - who is on my long list of newly developed girl crushes from FitBloggin - over at Weight Off My Shoulders is doing a Progress Not Perfection challenge - 8 weeks, track all the things, be accountable to everyone else.  I'm excited about that too. I always do better when I feel like everyone is watching my every move.  This is going to be good for me.

Also, I'm adding in TurboKick. Sentao and Toning classes in to my schedule on a weekly basis now.  I will be getting to use all my certifications/licenses  I'm even hoping to get Hustle back on the schedule in the next month or so.  Just something fun and different to switch things up.

The most important thing is that everything is being done on my terms.  I'm taking control and I'm making decisions and I'm not letting myself be second fiddle to anyone.  Not at work, not in the fitness world, not at home.

One of the biggest lessons for me in 2012 is that I sabotage myself by being too nice and not making waves. I avoid confrontation and am afraid to hurt anyone and that's great, it's who I am and it's part of why people like me... I'm a big old softie...but it also lets me get walked on.  I need to be more forward and honest and forthcoming.  I've been working on it for the last few months and I'm getting more confident in it.

I'm ready to get through tomorrow and wave in 2013 with a smile and a rocking time on my 5k.

What are YOU doing to get 2013 started off on the right foot?

Simplifying Schedule and Fitness Goals

In order to simplify my life in 2013 I have been looking at ways to ensure I don't do silly things like double book myself or schedule classes that overlap by 5 minutes anymore.  Enter - iPlan on my iPad and iPhone.

I looked at a number of different applications on the iPad and iPhone to keep my schedule straight.  I hate just using my Google or Apple basic calendar because they do silly things like import everything from Facebook and it gets cluttered and annoying.  I am no good at keeping up with a physical calendar and, really, I don't need anything else to put in my massive purse.

I really like the sleek look at this calendar app and I like that I can bring in my Google or Facebook events with ease and make the go away just as easily.  It's just a very friendly application.

It's also very pretty!! 

So here's the break down of my January in terms of my workout schedule.

Week 1 - 5k, 5 Zumba Classes, 1 TurboKick class.
Week 2 - 9 Zumba classes, 1 Trio 'Commit to Fit' Master Class
Week 3 - 11 Zumba classes, 1 TurboKick class
Week 4 - 11 Zumba classes, 1 TurboKick Class (1 Turbo and 1 Zumba in Feburary.)

So total? 1 5k, 36 Zumba classes, 3 TurboKick classes and 1 Master Class.

Oh, and one of those Sunday's will actually be replaced with Aqua Zumba training.  As long as there are spots open when I try to register on payday.  So I'll be minus 3 Zumba classes in week 4.

And somewhere in there, I will do other short runs and learn choreography and practice choreography and live my life outside of Zumba and do my full time job.

I am so excited about 2013.  I plan on using all of my speciality licenses.  I'll get Aqua and Gold and I'll use them as often as I can.  I'm hoping to pull Hip Hop Hustle back out too, try it out in some of the new locations to see if it will take off.

I'm going to do my best to balance my load and work smarter, not just more often to share the Trio Fitness love!

5k + Master Class + Jam Session = Dead

So, my morning started out with the Robin Run 5k.  I blew my personal record out of the WATER!  I cross the finish line in 49:33.  Over three full minutes quicker than my best record.

It was OWIE, but AWESOME!!!

Then I showered, got pretty, and went to lunch at Cracker Barrel. I ate all the things.

Then I went to the new studio and got ready for a Master Class and Jam Session with the AMAZING Erica Dixon.

75 minutes of Zumba. Then a THREE HOUR Jam Session.

I said EFF IT and shared and cheese fry and milkshake after dinner tonight.  I think it was worth it though.

Not a bad day over all.

More details when my brain is not FRIED.

Taking care of me...

Today's NHBPM prompt was about redesigning a doctors office. All I'd really do is make it colorful and fun. It's an office, as long as it's functional I don't much care how it looks.

So, I'm taking on a bonus prompt as it's important to where I am today.

How you take time for yourself.

So, this is something I'm not great about doing. I will run myself in to the ground if people don't tell me to slow down. I've been running myself ragged the last few weeks. Work stress, Zumba, extra workouts, training for my 5k this weekend, it's been a lot of stuff going on.

To top it off, I got an ear infection and upper respiratory infection this past weekend.  I woke up Saturday morning with a fever and immediately went to immediate care when they opened.  They gave me antibiotics and told me to rest.  Not so much. I'm not good at that.  I felt better by Monday, but still drained.  Then I wound up working until 2:30 this morning and didn't get home till almost 4am and was worn out enough that everything feels worse today.  

I still taught my Zumba class tonight because that's part of how I take care of myself.  My workouts are very important to me.  I get both physical and emotional therapy from getting sweaty and losing myself to my music or the cadence of my run.  If I don't get my workout, I feel awful. It's just not negotiable anymore. I need my workout.

The other ways I take care of myself include trying to find time that is truly me time.  As much as I'm a social person, I am still kind of an introvert. I do need time alone to recharge my batteries so I can be chipper, happy me when I deal with people. 

Of course, also important, is a good diet, taking my medications regularly, and my multivitamin regimen, and Shakeology. 

Shakeology has saved my tail so many times.  So good for my stomach, my skin, my hair, my nails and it helps to curb all the bad eating habits. It's one of the linchpins of my healthy lifestyle, 

I've been bad and only doing shakes a few times a week at most for a while and this infection and the general sense of ice lately has renewed my vigor around my Shakeology. Can't wait to get back in to my normal schedule with it.  Tomorrow, Vegan Strawberry with berries and ice and blueberry acai fruit juice, mmmm

Most important in taking car of myself is sleep! Sleep is so important and I will skimp when things are crazy and I cants d that anymore. Sleep is non negotiable! 

Celebrating Dirty Thirty

Well, it happened. I turned 30!

After an incredibly hard week at work, I started my birthday weekend off with Mrs. Fatass doing a 30 minute Zumba Sentao demo at 12:15. It went so well! We had done our first demo on Thursday night and I think each time we do it, it gets better and easier to do (in terms of teaching!)!  I went back to work, got as much done as possible and left at 4:45 to go get my eyebrows tamed before my dinner party.

We went out to a local place called Jac's for dinner. It was DELICIOUS! 

I had reserved the private dining room for the evening and as we were being walked to the room the hostess was giggling - people had been by already. Sue and a coworker, Ann had been by to drop off flowers for me. Sue's was festooned with the "It's My Fucking Birthday" button attached to the vase. I giggled like mad.

Dinner was so good. First there was spinach artichoke dip with pita bread and warm fresh bread with a sweet butter. My meal. Chicken breast, broccolini, and garlic mashed potatoes in a smoked Gouda cream sauce. My birthday cake? Caramel, banana fried cheesecake with vanilla ice cream and caramel and chocolate drizzle. Dead! 

Italian Wedding Cake Martini

Also a Glo-Toni and an Italian Wedding Cake martini. So awesome. So tasty. So tipsy.

Glo-Tini

The party moved to a local bar, O'Cools, where we had some more drinks, shared nachos and just hung out. I fell in love with the new chairs on the patio. They're perfect for Sentao. Sadly, they run like $500 for 14 of them. Ouch!

I came home and went to bed right around midnight. It was a very restful sleep.

Saturday, my birthday started off by being bombarded with texts, calls and Facebook messages from friends and family. I couldn't stop smiling. 

I hustled over to the studio to do 30 minutes of Zumba with Sarah and the crew there. I was welcomed by a giant birthday card, gifts from students, a board that they were fastening stars with positive messages on to. I cried a little. So much love! 

Those 30 minutes were full of joy and glee and a ton of sweat. I ran out to teach over at the YMCA. I was greeted by cards and a pretty pink tiara to wear. The tiara actually stayed on for 99.9% of class. Resilient thing!

Note the Tiara. And the pink socks to match.

60 minutes of more sweat to my favorite songs followed.  The smile couldn't have been removed from my face with a jackhammer!

Then came my spoiling myself. Lunch at El Tap with Marsh, Matt, Chip, Sarah and Maryana. Then off to Sacred Flame to get my new tattoo. A quick run to Raleigh followed where I bought my new, fancy iPad!

Here's the tattoo.  I posted from the iPad.

He's a good boy. I got the new iPad, with 64gig of storage in black and blue Smart Cover. I don't like the cover. I can't plug my headphones in flush against it. Fail.

We ate dinner at a great Irish pub in Raleigh where I nommed pub chips, Shepard's Pie with arugula salad and a brownie salad. So sinful!

I was up till almost 1am playing with my iPad. It's so nice!  I think the iPad's name is Gizmo.  Like from Gremlins.

Today was another day of crazy Zumba. Sentao demo, Zumbatomic and a 75 minute Zumba class. 3 hours total. I am so sore. I love it though!!! I know I couldn't have done all of that in one day when I was 25.  Maybe not even when I was 28! Progress!

I am very pleased with turning 30. I'm feeling healthy, strong, loved and like I'm finally finding my place in this world. 

Currently, I'm working on a new goals list. 30 things I want to accomplish in the next year. Personal, fitness, financial and general goals to give me a chance to really fill the coming year with all the best things. 

Simplicity is going to be the theme for the year. Keeping things low key and simple and close to the heart. Watch out 30, I'm coming for you!!! 

All work and no play...

Ok, so it hasn't been "no play," but not nearly enough play this last week.  And this coming week isn't looking very happy either.

I had a big deadline on Friday.  I made it, but just barely.  My team really pulled through.  The whole week was just insane though.  I worked until late, through lunch and went in early all week and between that and my insane Zumba schedule I am just straight up beat.

And tomorrow starts 3 insane days back to back.

At about 4:30 tomorrow morning I need to head out the door to drive to Stokesdale for a Zumba license class - Sentao.  Can we say OW!?!?! It's not going to be an easy day and then you add the 2.75 hour drive to the equation and SUPER FREAKING OW.

After the class is done I'm taking a hop skip and a jump drive over to Winston Salem and checking in to a hotel for 2 days of locked in a room fun of data jamming and testing.  So Monday I'll be sitting in a chair and not moving.  That's generally not helpful for all the soreness.

Then I get to come home and jump back on my normal Zumba schedule.

I'm really hoping that the two nights where I can't do Zumba will let my body get some much needed rest.  I would like to not be sore all over.  I also don't know what I'm going to do with 2 days without cardio.  Maybe the place I'm staying will have a good onsite gym and I can get in a short run or something before heading in?  I know I'm not running outside at early o'clock in a place I don't know.

Highlights of this past week:

1. Matt and I went running Wednesday evening and I did a full 8 minute run for just over a half a mile.  Endurance is getting way better. I have high hopes for my 5k next month!
2. I had a Zumba instructor from Raleigh come to my class Wednesday night and taught an awesome belly dance routine that I'm almost ready to introduce in to the class myself.  I love it.
3. Weigh in on Wednesday - down only .2 pounds but I was retaining water like crazy because I was dumb and ate McDonald's chicken nuggets on Tuesday night.
4. I got the nicest compliment from a lady at my YMCA class this morning - she told me I had beautiful hands when I danced and that I danced through to the very tips.
5. Choreographed a new Salsa and a cha-cha to Love Potion No. 9.  The love potion routine is a Halloween song but I'm loving it for now.

Countdown to 30 - 7 more days! WOOHOO! Bring it on 30s! I'm coming for you!

Fun, Fundraising and Freaking Exhausted.

Going in to this weekend I was exhausted. The cold that hit me on Monday was holding strong well in to Friday and I was scared that I wasn't going to survive my weekend events and my voice was 95% gone with no sign of coming back.  

Here's what was on my schedule for the weekend:

Saturday 10a: 2 hour Zumbathon for Girls on the Run.
Saturday 4p: 2 hour Zumbatomic Birthday Party for Morgan and Makenzie.
Sunday 2:15p: 1 hour Zumbatomic class
Sunday 4:30p: 75 minute Zumba class at the YMCA.

That's about 6 hours of Zumba related work and Zumbatomic is the most exhausting specialty I currently teach.  Kids are hard.  They require twice as much energy and enthusiasm as a normal Zumba class.  I guess it's fair though because the reward is twice as big.  

Friday night I went to bed early after taking my 100th dose of Zicam, EmergenC, gargling with salt water, taking NyQuil and slathering myself up with VapoRub.  

It worked well enough, I suppose.  I almost had a full voice back when I got up Saturday and I was not feeling so much like death.  So on we went.

The Girls on the Run Zumbathon? AMAZING! Girls on the Run may have won me over and I may be considering volunteering with them.  I love their mission and the way they teach self acceptance, self love and honoring your body.  Ginger from GOTR did a little exercise with the girls at the Zumbathon that I really needed.  It involved a Positivity string and throwing away the Negativity strings that people try to force upon us. Then playing a game of "tag" with positive adjectives that when we had to freeze we had to attach to the people closest to us.  It was a beautiful exercise and I loved the messages.  They resonated with me.

Mostly?  The day was about fun and dancing and playing and we did!!!

Curl in like an amoeba!

Mrs. Fatass gives a lesson on Cumbia

An unplanned circle during a game of Freeze Dance!

The Monster Mash!!

Starting a game of Center Star

Positivity string meditation

It was a blast to get to play with the kids and to watch some of them just come right out of their shell and make new friends.  I miss that about being a kid.  How every new person you meet is a best friend you just haven't met yet.  It was uplifting and made me feel great.  Even though I was still wanting nothing more than to be in my bed with hot chocolate and a book.

After all was said and done I got home, got cleaned up and had lunch while psyching myself up for the birthday party.

And you know what?  The birthday party was AWESOME too.  The two girls we were hosting the party for were turning 7 and 11 and we wound up with a full hour of giggling and dancing.  Even some of the parents and grandparents got in on the action!!!!! It was so much fun and I loved that the kids got so in to the dancing piece of the day.  It was harder with the age span but we did it.

Then Sue and I spent the second hour helping out with the food and drink portion and cleaned up the studio. I was dead tired by the time we finished up.  Like... DEAD.

I spent the evening catching up on the DVR and eating pizza with Matt and Marshall.  It was the best way to end the day.

Sunday morning came far too quickly though. I slept in a little bit, but not much and then had to go grocery shopping.  Then I spent an hour separating meats in to single serve sizes so I could easily making up meals for the week.  Lots of yummy chicken and turkey sausages and veggies for lunch and quick dinners this week.  I also did some planning about breakfasts and snacks and everything is pretty much set to go.

Then it was onward to my normal Zumbatomic class.  I had 2 little girls and 2 older boys and it was a weird class BUT it was fun and everyone got sweaty and giggly.  It took a lot out of me.  It was a hard class due to the age difference.  A 4 and 5 year old and a 9 and 10 year old. OUCH!  It wound up being incredibly satisfying though.

My class at the YMCA was smaller than normal but it also wound up just feeling good.  I went with an all cardio, playful playlist.  There were lots of call backs to old favorites and some Halloween related fun routines.  It was great.  I felt so much better about 30 minutes in to class when the endorphin rush just rose up and hit me.  I love that crew so much.  No matter how tired I am they rock me!

Today I am working from home, on my day off, and about to go run some errands with Matt.

I am still a little high on the weekend.  Why?  Because I got two of the biggest compliments from Zumbatomic kids through their parents.

First one little girl, who has been to pretty much all of my classes, was told that she was going to do Zumba for a few hours Saturday morning by her mom and she said "I don't wanna do Zumba without Miss Sam." Dead. That hit me right in the heart place. WHAM!

Secondly, the little girl from class on Sunday.  Her mom posted this on my FaceBook last night:

 And then this this morning:

Yeah... I'm so won over by the love from the little ones.  They are so open and honest and live life so unapologetically. 

So much good stuff.  

I'm still freaking exhausted though. EXHAUSTED.  After this weird week and next weekends Sentao training I am fully prepared to be dead by the end of next week... when I turn 30! EEK! It's coming up so quickly! 

I can't wait to see what year 30 brings!

Weigh in Wednesday

Last week I rejoined Weight Watchers and today was my first weigh in. 

Down 7.6 pounds. 

7.6 pounds.  I rarely see that in a month, let alone a week.  I also didn't really do anything all that differently last week either.  I was just getting back "on plan."  Silly body making me all confused.

Anyway, I'm going to keep soldiering on and only weighing in on Wednesday.  Not going to weigh in every day.  I'm not! ... If I start doing so I'll let you all know so you can shame me in to stopping, because I'm pretty bad with the obsession of weighing in.  

I'm enjoying the heck out of the #20till30 challenge.  It's been cool how people are getting their daily exercises in with new people, in new places and sharing it with me.  I'm totally digging it.

Me?  I did jumping jacks outside with Matt and then did squats with a new Zumba student at my new location last night.  Tonight?  I'm totally cheating a little bit.

Lunges - I added these because I hate them so freaking much.  Mostly because of my broken ankle from 7 years ago.  BUT I do a Zumba song that's alternating lunges.  I retired it because the lunges were making me angry with life (and my ankle) but I'm bringing it back tonight to get in my lunges in Zumba style.  It's 32 lunges on each side over the course of the fun Broadway, vamping song.  So I'll be getting my lunges in with my Zumba family.

Matt and I are also going to go for a jog, not sure about before or after class... but we'll get in at least 30 minutes.  

And then sleep.. because this cold will not let go of me! My head is stuffed full of snot and angry right now.  My right ear sounds like it's stuffed with cotton balls.  The doc said it's just a cold though so I'll just deal with it.  One or two more days and I'll be back to normal.  Just in time for a day long Zumba fest - A Zumbathon, a Zumba birthday party and then 2 classes the next day! WOOHOO!!

FitBloggin '12: The Workouts

Ok, this really should be titled "THE ZUMBA" but first let's talk a little bit about the walking and the running and the CrossFit.

Firstly - CrossFit is now my frenemy. I want to hate it. But I secretly love it.  The pain I was in until MONDAY just shows me how good it is for me.  I LOVE to feel like I've had the crap kicked out of me by a workout.  I'm totally a masochist in that respect.  I love my cardio and how it hurts so good but this was that ache times 50 and I like it.  So much that Matt and I are checking out the CrossFit gym that just opened here this weekend.

Then there was all the walking and the running.  Matt and I toured the harbor like three times around.  It was great to just walk and talk and not feel winded by the exertion.  Then came Sunday and we went out to do the 1 mile run that turned in nearly 2.5 miles with our new friend Sana.  I probably could have done the whole 5k but my butt muscles were not happy with me and were seizing about 2 miles in. It felt nice.  I couldn't have done that a year ago.  Not and run as much as I did.  We probably did 3 4-5 minute sprints.  I think.

That's right. I worked out so hard that my ass was shaking of it's own accord.  Right the frak on!.

Then of course, there was watching Matt rock out in the JumpSport class.

And even more of course - THE ZUMBA.

Let me first say that it was a total fraking honor to dance with everyone on Saturday morning.

And then let me say how touched I was to watch a room of 100+ people sing Happy Birthday to my beloved Mrs. Fatass.  That's family. That's love.

It was freaking exhilarating to be on that stage - like I felt like a rockstar.   I just about died when Tara yelled out "Sam, you are SO SEXY" when I started teaching my cha-cha.

In that moment, in that HOUR, I actually felt sexy.. I can "play" sexy but at that moment, I really felt sexy.  I felt sexy like I feel when I'm dancing around my house, in my underwear, pretending to be a PussyCat Doll while I clean the house. When it's just me. I felt that at home.

Then there was YOU.  YOU was a brain child of Mrs. Fatass and I.  She heard the song at a masterclass and wanted it to close out the FitBloggin session. She wanted it to feel like a party.

I listened to the song and I loved the vibe, the lyrics, the way it made me smile and all I could think was SOUL TRAIN LINE.  It was amazing  Seeing everyone laughing and dancing and playing with each other while the song just blared in the background.  I teared up.  It was so moving.  That was exactly what we wanted - joy.

I LOVED watching people in the crowd "get" a move and start to add their own flair.  The smiles, the joking, the wiggling and laughter when they were trying to figure out what they were doing.

And after? When people were begging to take pictures with me? SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.  People wanted to touch me, talk to me, take my picture and I made eye contact and I posed.

I normally hate having my picture taken but this was just about the most natural thing in the world. I wanted to stand at the door and hug everyone as they left.  Everyone was my family right then.  Hell, I didn't even need a Xanax to do it either.  I wasn't anxious for even half a second.

I loved talking to folks who said they were shocked they did it, that they had a great time, that they were skeptical about Zumba but wanted to do it again.  I loved that people shared their stories with me.  I really loved that several people expressed interest in getting licensed to teach.  I felt like the Zumba Instructor I want to be all the time.

That's what Zumba is to me. It's sharing, and family, and love, and togetherness.  It's dancing your cares away *clap, clap* and just being with each other.

Anyway... all that said THANK YOU FITBLOGGERS for making my first experience with you one to remember, one to hold on to.  I went in to this thinking I'd just be the lovely assistant to Mrs. Fatass - I never thought you'd embrace me that way you did literally and figuratively

And I haven't even finished the post on the weep-fest sessions that, in a real way, have changed my life.  More to come

NOW - someone asked for the playlist.  So here are the songs and the artists. All but #4 and #5 are easily found on iTunes. Enjoy!

1. Ice, Ice, Baby - Reanimator featuring Big Daddy and Vanilla Ice
2. Danzo Kuduro - Don Omar
3. Party Jumpin - R. Kelly
4. Do You Dig It - Zumba cover but original version is by Ray Baretto
5. Loco - Zumba original
6. Fuego - Pitbull
7. Bolo Ta Ra Ra - Daler Mehndi
8. Esta Cache - Oro Solido
9. Fever - Winsin & Yandel
10. This Boy's Fire - Santana
11. De Lao a Lao - Reggaetones
12. Por Arriba, por Abajo - Ricky Martin
13. Los Campeons de la Salsa - Willy Chirino
14. You - Machel Montano
15. Love on Top - Beyonce

To Jam or not to Jam...

This evening I an plagued with self doubt.  One of my biggest dreams in the world of Zumba is to become a Jammer.

I want to be able to go around and share my choreography with people all over the state, the country.  I want to hold master classes and Jam sessions and all of the other awesomeness that being a Jammer entails.

Today, I was informed that a call has just gone out for Jammer applications here in North Carolina.  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I want to apply.  I know there are going to be dozens of applications from some of the amazingly talented ZINs here in NC and the chances of me getting the gig are very small but... I don't know how long it'll be till there's another chance to even apply.

Since finding out I've been playing the what if game and bouncing back and forth with reasons to go for it and reasons not to.

The big road block?  I'm not ACE or AAFA certified.  I'm planning on doing the group ex cert during the Februrary APEX event next year but that's the weekend before the Jammer training and I don't think that'l fly.

So if I can't do it during APEX, I'm looking at $300 to do the home study course.  I don't know if I can spare that kind of cash.  I already need to get two more Zumba licenses in the next couple of months and I need to be saving up for vacation and general savings and putting money away towards a new wardrobe and Christmas presents.

Still, I feel like I'm using that as an excuse to not take the leap and throw my hat in the ring.

I'm a good instructor. I'm a good dancer.  I'm a pretty good choreographer, too! The local ZINs are never afraid to come to me and say "I want a routine to this!" and I'm always willing to try!

I've choreographed a bunch of fun routines that my students love. Among them:

• A cumbia style pop routine to Tik-Tok by Ke$ha
• A reggaeton to Pin Pon by El Medico
• A cha-cha to Corizon Espinado by Santana
• A cumbia to Loco from ZIN 38
• A pop disco to Knock on Wood - the Zumba cover
• A tango to Material Girl - Madonna
• A Broadway toning to I'm a Woman - Smokey Joe's Cafe
• A pop toning to Boyfriend by Justin Beiber
• A funky toning to Bureo, Bureo - Zumba megamix
• A salsa toning to Conga by Gloria Estefan
• Hip Hop toning routines to Freak by Estelle, Lose My Breath by Destinys Child and Milkshake by Kelis
• A fun soca soul train routine to YOU by Machel Montano

I've got like 6 other routines in the works, an axe, two salsas, a merengue, another cumbia, and a Soca.  I LOVE doing choreography and I am always looking for any excuse to test out my skills on a new rhythm or genre.  I have a sketched out punk/metal/rock toning routine to Keep Em Separated by the Offspring.

I know I have a lot to learn and there's a whole world of music out there for me to dive in to.  BUT what if this is the last cal for Jammers for a long time.  What if this is the only chance I'll have.  Do I really want to wind up regretting not at least trying it, getting my name out there.

There's a lot for me to think about.  I don't have to decide tonight but it has to be quick.  I have to have my application in by November 1st.  And I'd have to have a plan for my AFAA certification in place just as quick.

AHHHHHHHH PANIC TIME!

FitBloggin '12

It's here! It's here!  This morning I picked up the lovely Mrs. Fatass and my best buddy Matt and we headed off to the great far away land of ... Baltimore?

It's a weirdly emotional homecoming for me.  I lived here when I was younger, till I was about 13, and now all these emotions and memories are coming to the surface.  I used to be able to walk here to the harbor.  I can remember taking the ferry over to Fells Point.  I remember various family outings to watch fireworks or other fun outdoor events.  I remember feeling "happy" but utterly lost and lonely and pretty much hating life.

It's also a bit of a freeing trip for me though.  I'm not the girl I was when I lived here.  I am stronger, wiser, smarter and I actually know who I am now.

I'm so excited for the conference.  I'm excited to meet all of these bloggers who I've stalked read as I've gone through my journey.  It's going to be awesome.

Mostly, I'm so totally stoked about helping Mrs. Fatass with her Zumba class Saturday morning.  We're going to rock this place like no other.

Watch out, Baltimore.

FMS Photo a Day - Days 10-16 - and a busy, busy day!

I am finally back on a laptop and able to do things that I wanted to do all week.  First up - an update of all my awesome pictures for the FMS Photo a Day.

10. Black and White

11. Hero

12. Together

13. Table

14. Favorite 

15. First Thing You See

16. Strange

This challenge has been a blast for me! Some of the prompts I've REALLLLY had to think about to come up with something that wasn't just another cat picture.  

I'm excited to be back up and running with a new laptop to get stuff done on.  It's not the spiffy, bad ass, super expensive MacBook Pro that I wanted but this little Toshiba has some serious get up and go.  Not a bad way to spend 300$.  The piece of mind alone was worth it, I think.

Today is also a day for getting stuff accomplished.  Last night I started a crock pot bean and veggie stew and this morning I got up and started a crock pot steak and potato stew.  The bean and veggie will be lunch and the steak and potato stew is for dinner.  Left overs will be what I nom on for the three days I'm at work this week.

For the next few hours, I'm putting together stuff for Zumbatomic this afternoon, working on marketing for ZA classes and general Zumba and making sure I have my ducks in a row for Fitbloggin this week!  

I'm pondering things for an upcoming Zumbathon and working on new choreography. Also, checking my work email. Also, also, finishing up the debloating and securing of my new system.  I was able to repurpose the hard drive out of my old computer and toss it in to an enclosure to be my backup hard drive.  Score!

After ZA and my regular Zumba class today, I'm coming home to chill and watch football!

I've been up since 8am... on a Sunday... the apocalypse may be coming.  Just saying.

Zumbatomic, bad decisions, FMS Photos!

First off - today was THE DAY - I taught my first Zumbatomic class. It was SOOOOOOO fun! It was me and 5 little ladies.  We danced.  We laughed.  They showed me their mad dancing and tumbling skills. I was overjoyed.  The parental performance went SO well! They were a joy.  It was a joy. 

Thursday and Friday were, however, days of bad decisions. And yet, still full of good things.

Thursday I didn't eat nearly enough.  Then I went and taught about 2.5 hours of Zumba.  I paid for this on Friday. Migraine, dehydrated, exhausted, fuzzy headed.  I still managed to get a ton done at work but in doing so I didn't eat nearly enough during the work day and then ate a HUGE dinner.  I finally normalized on Saturday and today was a great day for nutrition.

I will be more careful in the future.

Friday night I got to dance with Mrs.Fatass at the First Friday event here in town.  We did 3 Zumba songs and talked to perspective students.  It was a blast.

Saturday I vegged after class with Sarah and then went hog wild on movies from Redbox.  On the menu?

We Need to Talk About Kevin -  chilling.  haunting.  beautiful. utterly depressing but I'm glad I watched it.
Man on a Ledge - very fun.  I like the review that called it Oceans 11 meets Mission Impossible.  Pretty apt.
Silent House - pretty much your standard cabin in the woods thriller.  I loved some of the cinematography though.  Very cool choices.

Still to watch? Intruders and Identical. I have a problem... I love these weird horror/thriller/suspense films.  They're so good even when they're bad!!

Next weekend I'll try to watch something not so dark. Maybe something animated and involving cute anthropomorphic animals!

Now for my Fat Mum Slim Photo a Day pics. I'm having so much fun with this!!

6. Every day

7. Natural

8. Night

9.  Something you do most weekends

Beware Mr. Tomic.

Beware! Beware! Mrs. Fatass and I are now coming for the little ones.  ZumbAtomic is coming and coming soon.

Today we drove to Virginia to spend the day with the lovely, talented, joyous Loretta Bates.  She doesn't know it, but she's totally my new BFF.

See. She totally feels the ZumbaLove with me. 

Most importantly, she taught an INCREDIBLE course on teaching ZumbAtomic classes, sessions and birthday parties. 

Trio Fitness is ready to hit the ground running and bring the Zumba love to everyone regardless of age. 

I still need to get my Gold license but that's coming.

ALSO! Speaking of trainings. 

The Saturday before my 30th birthday I will be taking the Zumba Sentao training. Then, once I find a Gold class that I can get to. I will be missing only the Aqua circle on my profile.  GET ALL THE CIRCLES!!!!

Also... I need pretty Toning clothing now... I just realized my Zumbawear is short a Toning Instructor top.  Boo!

Anyway... today was great not just because of how awesome Loretta and Zumbatomic are but because I got to spend the day with Sue.

It's been a while she she and I could just talk.  And we did... for 2.5 hours up and then dinner and 3 hours back.  We laughed, had a few weepy moments and shared stuff we likely wouldn't have had a chance to talk about otherwise and I loved every bit of it. 

I am now exhausted and sore and realizing that trying to dance like a 7 year old is harder than I thought.  Trying to control my out of control hips when learning to modify was HARD.  I need to shake it extra hard tomorrow to let my muscles have some fun!!!!

The night before Zumbatomic...

First I want to take a second and say hello to my new friends in the Blogosphere! I'm honored you folks have stopped in to my corner of the internet.  And I'm even more honored to be peeking in to yours from over here.  So, hello!!!

I am in bed getting ready to pass out so I can embark on a long, ardous, too fun day tomorrow with Mrs. Fatass and the lovely Loretta Bates as we learn from her and get our Zumbatomic licenses. 

It's going to be a LOOOOOOOOONG day though.  In order to get the licensing class, we need to leave here at like 5am.  Drive for a little under 4 hours Class from 8:30-5:30 and another nearly 3 hour drive home. 

Eesh! I'm tired just thinking about it!

BRING IT ON!

I'm excited about the ZA license because it's so totally different than what I do anywhere else.  It's a different dance style, teaching style and a whole different attitude.

Once upon a time I taught in a daycare.  Me - potty mouthed, sassy, mouthy me.  I taught fifteen 2-3 year olds for 8 hours a day.  I know, shock.  I loved it ... for the short term! And I think that this will let me tap in to that mothering, nurturing side. 

Today I got up and went off to teach Zumba with Sarah and we had a blast.  I ran errands, I did laundry, I cleaned and organized my side of the bedroom, I gassed up the car and I got ready for tomorrow. 

I also got out and went for a run with Matt.  28 minutes, 1.5 miles, set our own interval runs because technology was being mean to us.  And it felt great.

I can wait to tell you all about ZA when I get home.

Zumba Convention 2012 Wrap-Up Part 2

Yesterday we talked about Wednesday and Thursday.  Today let's wrap up Ceonvention starting with the joy that was Friday.

Friday morning Sarah and I hit up the Outlet store before going to class and I was floored.  The deals!  Next year I will absolutely leave more room in my bag for more clothes.  And I will take orders from my students! So much awesome to share. The first session of the day was Flamenco Fever. 

This class only served to remind me that I have less upper body strength than most toddlers.  For serious! Holding the arm positions my arms and upper back were SCREAMING at the end of the session.  I loved it!  I also got dragged out in to a circle dance to dance with the session leader Siudy.  So very cool!  I loved learning about the different ways to use my arms and hands as as extension of my arms and how to hold myself in proper form to do the Flamenco properly.  I loved it.

After that was the session to end all sessions... the ZIN Master Class with BETO! I got to take most of an hour worth of Zumba with the man, the myth, the legend, the creator of Zumba - Beto.   It was so much fun and I was flying by the time we were done.  It was one of those things that words don't do it justice.  The energy was high, everyone was full of joy and the new songs are BANGING! I know I will wind up using all of the songs when that ZIN DVD comes out.  I loved the mixes, I loved the moves and I can't wait to share it with my classes.

After that there was more shopping and investigating and looking around and some choreography practice and then back to the hotel to get ready for the big Fitness Concert.  Which we wound up skipping.  Because we were tired and not really up for all the loud.  Veronica, Jenn, Sarah and I went out to Uno's for dinner and then back to the hotel to hang out and just relax.  I did a load of laundry and stayed up late just chatting with the other ladies in the room. 

Saturday was the busy day.  The morning started off with a master class with Heidi Torres called Miami Party.  It was INTENSE.  I was so drenched in sweat by the end of the class that I thought my clothes were melting off of me.  Heidi is an absolute firecracker.  The playlist was so hot and the moves were even hotter.  I want all of my classes to have that joyful feeling.  So amazing. 

After that Sarah and I were scheduled for Columbian Connection but we wound up skipping it to take a breather and prepare for recording our routine for the Choreo contest.  I also just needed some space.  During the Miami Party class some fellow instructors were being not so nice to me.  Their shock and amazement that the "big girl can move" really grated on me and I felt marginalized and so little.  It hurt.  It hurt a lot.  That's a whole other post though... that's coming....

So I took a break, collected myself, put my big girl panties on and met up with the team for the choreo contest. 

We ROCKED recording the choreo video.  I am so completely honored by getting to dance with the incredible group of ladies in the Hard Knox Crew.  Shanie, Paulette, Gabby, Kay, Jenn, Liz, Crystal, Sarah and I had a great time working together and I think we had a fun, innovate and STRONG routine that I think the Home Office will enjoy.  Fingers crossed! I'm also really glad to be able to call these ladies my friends now.  They're all so kind and open and fun.  I couldn't have asked for a better crew. 

After that Sarah and I headed off to Hip to Strip with Ann Saldi.  This session was EXACTLY what I needed after the morning I had.  It was all about empowerment, confidence and loving your own body.  The routines were HOT HOT HOT and I felt so sexy doing them.  Ann is such an amazing instructor and I love her attitude, energy and the over all message that "Dancing naughty is good for the body."  She was bold, unashamed of her sensuality and rocked even the tiniest little move in such a way that she OWNED that room from the floor to the ceiling to every tiny crevice.  Yeah... I've got a new Zumba crush.  Ann joins the ranks of Dorie Wexler (the ZIN from CO), Loretta Bates, Pam Socorro and the other new additions Marcie Gill and Priscila Sartori!

After the way people treated me during Miami party, Ann's class was a breath of fresh air and the students in the class were amazing and I totally felt the Zumba love in that class. 

When we were done there we went home and then out to dinner to O'Charleys for the theme party - Dancing through the Decades.  I went in the black slacks, black tank and wavy hair like Madonna in the Vogue video.  The blazer jacket was too hot to wear.  The party wasn't as fun as I expected.  It was too crowded to do too much dancing but we had a good time for the hour or so we stayed.  Then Sarah, Jenn and I went to Friendly's and had ice cream. 

It was a trip down memory lane.  I hadn't been to a Friendly's in forever! Such yummy ice cream!!! :)

Sunday was the last day of convention and Sarah and I started out with the ever awesome Loretta Bates and (new crush) Marcie Gill in Reggaeton Rebellion.  The master class was incredible, the information was provided in a fun and interesting way and the choreography we learned was super hot! This was, by far, the best organized session of convention for me.  The material was presented in a way that really helped me understand the roots and culture behind  reggaeton and it was exciting at the same time. 

We had lunch at the convention center and I had a slight allergic reaction... I think the chicken stir fry was stirred or served with the spoon the shrimp stir fry was because I ate 2 or 3 bites and my mouth and throat started to feel funny.  Popped my emergency benedryl and I felt fine shortly there after but ACK that could have been bad!!

Last session of convention?  Brazilian Carnival.  We learned the moves for 5 rhythms - forro, Brazilian funk, axe, capoeira and samba.  And that was BEFORE the master class!!! My legs were jelly and I got about 4 songs in to the master class before realizing that I couldn't do any more if I intended on walking back to the car.  I got validation that my Samba was good from one of the instructors in the session during the Samba line mini workshop.  WOOHOO.  Next year I will take this session again and it won't be my last session of convention.  I want to be able to use the Brazilian moves without worrying that I'm going to pass out.

To wrap convention up Sarah, Jenn and I went out to dinner.  We wanted to steak and because places we were interested in were either closed or out of price range we went to Outback and had a delicious meal where we laughed and joked.  After dinner we headed back to the hotel and hit the pool.  We swam a bit, treaded water and then had to relocate to another pool because it was too crowded.  When we moved we found a pool with a mostly open hot tub.  It felt SOOOOOOO good!  My muscles really appreciated the bubbles and the heat.

I wasn't ready to come home on Monday but I also really wanted to be back with my men and back in my bed.  I also missed my students.  Getting to teach Monday night and tonight was a trip.  I have introduced 2 of the Reggaeton Rebellion songs, 2 from Hip to Strip and a Brazilian line dance I did at the Party in Pink and the Miami Party class this week and I'm loving sharing the excitement of convention with my crew. 

More to come about lessons learned and overall impressions of convention and a big old pic post tomorrow!!