How to work out every day in August

Two more days in August but I actually kept a goal for the first time in months of letting goals slide by me, so I wanted to share.

I have a Lindywell membership, I canceled my Peloton membership awhile back (a year+ ago), and I know I have access to a whole wide world of workouts for free on the internet. 

Last school year, I was so run down and exhausted that I physically did not have the strength to exercise. I did nothing over the summer because, let's face it, why would I? I knew something had to change if I wanted to feel better in August as the new school year was starting. I initially bribed myself with i-can-buy-a-treat if I keep up with it. Then it was more like i'll-probably-buy-the-treat-anyway so I might as well keep up with this. So I did (on both accounts).

I found Pregnancy and Postspartum TV led by Jessica when I was pregnant with Sutton. I don't really remember when, I just remember watching her videos and doing some of the workouts in the 3rd trimester. The summer after Sutton was born, I swore by her videos; I don't have lasting muscle damage from a csection but so many moms do and I didn't want to jump back into what I'd normally do (barre/Pilates/the bike at that time) without going this route first. I didn't really know what was best for that kind of recovery. I did these videos for a few months and noticed a difference and then I moved onto Peloton classes.

Then, it turns out, I still get PPTV workout calendars sent to my email. Jessica sends one out every month with the videos linked. Trust me when I say I've "intended" to "do" these calendars for a year now. I decided August was the time.

My qualifications for a workout right now are:

-can't get very sweaty

-20 minutes is the sweet spot for time

-mat-based with light weights

-not repetitive, no repeats in the workout

While I don't need the pregnancy or post-partum modifications, her workouts are perfect for me right now. They are not easy. They are also ideal if you don't want to dedicate more than 20 minutes a day or don't *have* more than 20 minutes a day. While I could get 20 minutes a day from my Liindywell app, I didn't find the workouts challenging enough. Yes, Pilates is challenging but I need more right now and I need it to be faster-paced. Laying down on my mat at 5:30am is not productive if I'm not well-rested (rarely am I well-rested). I need something to give me energy. If you check out the PPTV site, seriously just ignore the words "pregnancy" and "post-partum" unless you are obviously those things. These are challenging workouts, if you start here. 

I've noticed a different in how I've felt, specifically. If nothing else, if the rest of the day is all downhill from when the kids wake up at 6am onward, at least I accomplished this.

I wanted to share in case you are also looking for something incredibly easy to fit into your schedule but will give you a lot of bang for your buck.  

6 Weeks of Chloe Ting Workouts

Months ago, I came across Chloe Ting's workouts on Youtube and bookmarked one with the best of intentions. 

Fast forward to August, and I wanted to get motivated and get the endorphins of exercise running through my system again. While I rely on Pilates and walking as my go-to, I found myself doing a lot of Sarah Beth yoga while locked at home for multiple months. It gave my morning some structure. But...after a few months of chips, queso, Oreos, and ice cream each day, I could use a little HIIT in my routine. 

To be clear, I would say I gained about 6 pounds in 4-5 months. It wasn't life-changing and wasn't detrimental to my health. It hit me when my clothes just didn't fit right. That bothered me. It also wasn't that I was listening to my body or eating intuitively. Nope. I, like everyone else with the means to do so, was eating junk food out of stress and boredom. I'm not a stress-eater. But I will comfort-eat if the circumstances fall into place. 

So there we were and what's done was done. I had to move forward.  I only knew I'd gained weight in the first place because I was at the doctor on January 31st and again on April 18th and it was a 6 pound difference. My first reaction was what it always is when I gain weight: I went with the assumption that the scale was wrong and lived in denial for a few days. 

Finally, I changed my diet a bit. The food is a huge part of it but different strategies work for different people, so I won't go into that. This is about exercise...

I started the 2019 2-Week Shred on August 10th. I didn't follow the program exactly because I didn't read all of the instructions. Plus, I think this worked to my advantage because if I'd started with 45 minutes a day, I wouldn't have stuck with it very long. 

While Chloe Ting seems to be known for her ab workouts, I absolutely love a good leg workout. I highly recommend this quick Lower Body Burn. 

I did two each day for two weeks. I mixed and matched depending on my mood. My strategy was generally first thing in the morning, while Wells ate breakfast and watched Daniel Tiger and played independently. It was about 20-30 minutes a day. 

I also kept up with a few Pilates workouts a week, going by the monthly calendar I receive with The Balanced Life membership.

After two weeks, I felt better but I definitely hadn't lost any weight. I knew I had to keep going to both see results and make it a real habit. 

I did the 2020 Summer Shred. It's a 28 day program, all free, and is all organized for you with warm-ups and cool-downs as well. Every 3-4 days is a rest day, so you do have a chance to recover. 

In the end, I did 6 full weeks of Chloe Ting workouts. My thoughts...

+ Extremely user-friendly, even for the most novice of beginners

+ No equipment!

+ No jumping if you don't want to...some days I did the modifications because I've always hated jumping workouts. 

+ The format, style, and general aesthetic of her workouts is excellent. Good playlists, motivating but not overbearing, has a countdown clock and built-in rest time...she knows what she's doing. 

+ Just starting with one of her workouts a day (10-15 minutes) would probably be step in the right direction. I recommend going that way if you're either a beginner or if you're looking to build a real habit into your routine. Jumping into working out with 45-60 minutes every day is a recipe for disaster; you'll be sore, annoyed, and resentful (just me?). To start that way is not manageable if you have literally anything else happening in your life. 

In the end, after 6 weeks, I lost a couple of pounds. I feel like weight can go back and forth so easily from hour to hour, even. So I don't put as much stock in the exact number. I'll take that for now. 

Next up:

I'll be continuing with Pilates, as usual, but I think I'm going to do the 14 Day Slay program from Tone It Up. I'll likely stretch it to 21-28 days, just because I don't always have the time or desire to work out for more than 30 minutes a day, and I want to make sure I'm still doing my Pilates schedule as best I can. It makes a huge difference. Other than that, I want to start doing barre again. 

What's your go-to workout right now, and do you have any recommendations? 

*This is 100% not sponsored. All of these workouts were free on Youtube. I just thought I'd recommend something in case you found yourself in the same situation!

Why I quit the gym

I found myself getting really introspective a couple of weeks ago:

Why was I trying to go to the gym every day (or at least a few days a week)?

What was I hoping to accomplish?

Why was I plunking Wells into childcare when it was unnecessary, aside from the fact that I want him to be able to handle a childcare situation?

If it was that important to me, why couldn't I just wait until Scott got home and go at like 7pm? Or why couldn't we go all together, as a family, in the evenings?

To understand where I'm coming from, we need to go back to Alaska...

The gym was my safe place. Aside from my classroom, it's all I had when Scott was deployed for that one full year. A lot of my friends had young kids so we just kind of ran in different circles. I had my job and I had whatever I did on the blog and I had the gym. I made friends there and I had a schedule I kept to because it gave me structure. I didn't even have a dog!

So, when I move to a new place, I always think I wonder what gyms are nearby?...especially now that I'm not working. My job gave me a social outlet in Colorado for 4 years and our remodel and our dogs kept me busy enough that I didn't care about finding a gym and I didn't want to drive 45 minutes to one anyway. I would go to occasional classes on Ft. Carson but it wasn't fun or convenient like it was in Missouri and Alaska.

I developed a nice routine of just ("just" isn't a good word for it) Pilates and yoga (during pregnancy especially!) and dog-walking through the fields. Same in Wyoming.

It worked. It worked well.

When we came here, Scott wanted to join a gym so we got a family membership. He'd always had access to free military gyms (for PT, obviously) and had adored ("adored" isn't a strong enough word for it) the gym at the University of Wyoming.

Last winter, some nights I would go to the LA Fitness here, some nights he would go. But his job was unpredictable. His schedule would change at the last minute. And traffic: sometimes his commute would be 30 minutes, sometimes it was 90. I couldn't say I wanted to go to a 5:45pm class on Tuesdays because something would always come up. Or if Wells was fussy, it was harder to leave. And once he really started eating solids, dinner was a messy disaster and I didn't want to deal with the clean-up later that night. Or Scott, with his kind-hearted non-Cry-it-out parenting, couldn't get Wells to sleep at 7pm. I was the one who always pushed CIO (because it's worth it). It wasn't worth it to me, personally, to up-end the evening for everyone to go to a class I didn't really want to go to, with instructors who weren't that great, when I knew I could do 30 minutes of Pilates while we watched TV at night.

Sometimes I would go on the weekends. But it was HARD to get up at 7:30am for a class when I'd been up the night before 2-3 times with Wells. Back in those days, we were still sleeping until at least 9:00am because he wasn't sleeping through the night.

It just wasn't worth the sacrifice of me being exhausted the rest of the day.

I could've taken Wells to childcare at the gym, but no: I didn't trust them.  A lot of that came from the fact that LA Fitness had messed up our memberships more than once, had charged our credit card multiple times when they weren't supposed to, and couldn't provide competent customer service to save their own lives. I did not trust them with my baby.

So, I waited until he could walk before I tried that out.

And, to further complain about LA Fitness, I never felt like the instructors cared. I wasn't used to that. I'd never gone to a new-to-me class and not had the instructor introduce themselves. It's kind of teacher 101. I went to 20-30 classes, I bet, in the last year and an instructor never actually spoke to me. It's important to ask about modifications, health concerns, etc. if you don't know someone in your class. <<< This is why, if you can go to a private gym, it's probably worth your while. The instructors have more skin in the game and tend to care more.

Actually, some personal trainer from the gym kept calling me and saying they were offering free sessions and he kept setting up appointments for me; finally I said, No. When he asked why I was against a free session, I said I think it would be an unproductive use of my time and of his time and there were other people out there he could help. I said I had been a certified instructor and there was nothing he could tell me that I didn't know or hadn't been told before. He just laughed, said that was probably true, and that was the end of it.

It makes me slightly sick to know how gyms prey on people. Which is why, if you're going to find a gym, it's important to find one you trust and feel comfortable with. I felt the opposite with LA Fitness.

Scott and I talked through solutions to this problem:
Could we all go together? Well, the evenings are really crowded there right now, so no.
And I really hate the idea of wasting evenings when we can be playing and eating dinner and, you know, generally staying on a schedule.
Could we keep trying childcare? Eh. What was that going to accomplish, really? Me on a treadmill for 20 minutes? That seems pointless when we could be out on a playdate or running errands or anything other than rote cardio for the sake of rote cardio.

So. I went in and I canceled my membership. It wasn't a Chandler Bing moment. She just took me off the account but it's still good for 45 days, so I still have the membership until March 3rd.

I've been making a lot of use of Youtube workouts, using yoga, barre, Pilates...there's so much free content out there! Finding 20-30 minutes and feeling great at the end is a better use of time right now, rather than gathering everything up, going to the gym at a certain time (childcare was only open for certain hours anyway) and dealing with the stress and, this time of year, the cold. I don't need a gym membership to accomplish what I want to right now.

In addition, talking to another mom here, she told me how the YMCA she goes to does a childcare that is more like a daycare/camp, where they play with the kids and have games and stations. My jaw probably dropped open. The LA Fitness childcare is like a holding pen. There was only ever one lady I liked there. The others looked bothered.

That just made me mad and reaffirmed my current good decision-making skills.

What about you? Is the gym a yay or a nay? 

I have NO IDEA what things will look like in 6 months or in a year. I do know that if we're close enough to our next base for the gym to be convenient, I might pick up the habit again. Especially once Wells eventually starts preschool or nursery school or something (military gyms generally don't offer childcare). I have learned that fitness doesn't have to be tied to one gym, routine, or building.

Turkey Trot 2014

It's rough when you realize you're not in the best cardiovascular shape that you can be.  It's even harder when you were in better shape a year ago, and better shape still a year before that. Truth be told, it's been a really rough year in that regard.  I've tried to find a balance.  Still a work in progress. However, a post with that much introspection, though well-suited for Selfie Sunday, might have to wait for another day.

Last year, I ran a 10K Turkey Trot in 55 minutes.  This year, I feel like life has caught up to me.  I don't do a whole lot of cardio and I truly hate running.  I don't like anything about it.  Oh, wait.  I like the shaky legs and endorphins rushing through my system a few hours after a run.  I do really like that.  However, I get nothing out of the physical act itself.  It's not a rush, it's not thinking time, it's not graceful movement in my case.  It's torturous.

I don't know why I sign up for these races.  I can't pass up a good "5K!" sign.  If for nothing else, just to prove I can do it.  Plus, this one was free.

So when Scott and I were walking across the parking lot to the starting line yesterday, he mentioned that he hadn't run in a few weeks.  My response was that I hadn't run since July.  And that is the honest to God truth.

I mentioned that the 5K I did in July was tough and this one followed the same route.  I'm now making a mental note to not bother with any more Ft. Carson 5Ks because they are trail runs, up and down hills (more up than down if we're being specific) and yesterday's trail was covered in snow.  Therefore, I can give very little credibility to my time and how I would rate my running ability overall.  And let's add in the fact that the altitude sets my lungs on fire.  Actual searing flames of pain.  Colorado Springs is over 6,000 ft. above sea level. (This is almost 1,000 feet higher than Denver, so I don't know why everyone makes such a big deal about that place.) A quarter mile into the race, I feel it.  No outward physical pain to speak of,  some mental boredom for sure, but the lung pain is what kept me walking for a third of this race yesterday.  Still, I finished in 35 minutes.  Not the worst, right?  Scott told me how hard the race was for him and then I felt a little better about my time.  Though he finished several minutes before I did.

Sometimes I think I could walk a 5K in the same amount of time that I could jog one. After all, I walked an awful lot yesterday.  I'm not a fast runner but I'm definitely one of those fast walkers.  Maybe I should do one more here just to prove my theory…

Linking up with Joey!

A 5K, North Cheyenne Canon Park, and Pho and Grille

Last Friday, a friend and I decided to run the Firecracker 5K on Ft. Carson.  She enjoys running more than I do, but hasn't done much of it here yet.  I think the altitude got the better of us both.  I felt SO out of shape.  I usually rely on whatever cardio ability I've naturally retained to get me through 5Ks and such (7 minute mile in high school, #neverforget).  My first 5K was 32:00 minutes, my first 10K was 55:27, and this 5K was 33:18.  Not my proudest moment but considering that I: didn't train, had never run in Colorado before, and had never run in this pair of sneakers before, it wasn't too bad.  I came away feeling like the world's most unprepared person.  But, in my defense, it was a trail run and there were HILLS.  As if the elevation weren't enough, they added gravel hills.  It was terrible.

And my shirt was too big.  Pitfalls of signing up late. 

Moving on…

As my friend and I were running, we talked about the fact that "this is it till Monday when it comes to working out, so if it hurts tomorrow, that's okay". I wasn't expecting Scott to be home on Saturday and was planning on having a lazy day.  Instead, he came home Friday night and wanted to "do" something on Saturday and we ended up going hiking.

My poor feet.

We went to North Cheyenne Canon Park, which is right in the middle of Colorado Springs.  It's right near the Broadmoor Hotel and has several trails to offer.  I went into the Starsmore Discovery Center (which reminded me of the Eagle River Nature Center, for any Alaska readers out there) and asked the ladies at the desk what a good hike would be.  We had two dogs and weren't prepared for anything strenuous.  They gave me a map and suggested the Lower Columbine Trail.  It led to the Middle and Upper Columbine Trails, so it progressively got harder and took you 4 miles to Helen Hunt Falls. We did not make it all 4 miles because it was kind of a tough trail and we, going along with my unprepared theme, were not planning on such a hike.  We went the entire Lower trail, and did 3 switchbacks of the middle trail.  We were huffing and puffing and Jett was truly pulling me along.

My little sled dog. 

If you point at something and tell Jett to look, he will instead look at you.  This includes food, quail, and cameras.

Scout had had enough of us holding him back at this point.

After we went back to the truck for water and dog treats, we walked up to the reservoir and had a nice view, but there wasn't much to see up there.

Co Springs' water supply

The Broadmoor Hotel

We went back to the truck (slowly and painfully in my case…Jett just walks too fast) and headed off in search of a place to eat.  There is a TON of shopping and dining options on Powers Blvd.  It's where all my favorite stores are, plus Panera (ate there on Thursday), Super Target, Whole Foods, etc.  They even have a farmers' market on Thursdays.  It's on the opposite end of town, but the highway cuts right across to where our house is, so we can go in the back way and avoid all the I-25 traffic.

As we were driving through the parking lots, we saw Pho and Grille.  Scott had been wanting pho last week and we couldn't find a place near us.  Pho is Vietamese noodle soup and we really came to love it while we lived in Alaska.  Anchorage, being incredibly diverse, had just about every kind of cuisine you could imagine (except Panera, of course) and I don't remember if we ever found pho in the midwest.  I'm guessing not in Waynesville anyway.

After the 5K and that ridiculous hike, I wanted something more substantial than soup, so I had the Grilled Chicken Bowl.  We had shrimp spring rolls and Scott had a Thai iced tea (I took a sip or two…even my sweet tooth can't handle those things.)

This was, without a doubt, the best thing I'd eaten so far in Colorado.  I can't say it any more clearly.  If you want to make me happy, give me a big bowl of Asian noodles.  I don't even understand how it is possible to cook chicken so perfectly.  Plus, there was cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts, shredded lettuce, cilantro, peanuts, and a sweet and sour dressing over the whole thing.  I added some soy sauce and chili paste.  I ate as much as I could, but ended up taking half of it home. Scott said the pho was some of the best he'd ever had.

If you are in the mood for Thai/Asian/Vietnamese food in Colorado Springs, go to Pho and Grille.  It's right next to an I-max theater, along a street of outdoor shops.  We can already tell that this is going to be our go-to location for dinner and movie nights.  It was absolutely fantastic.

And then we went to Coldstone Creamery, which was right next door.

• If you are going to hike in North Cheyenne Canon, take a backpack with water and snacks.
• You do not have to pay to park or hike.  It's all free!
• If you are going to eat Asian food in Colorado Springs, go to Pho and Grille.

Healthiness: Exercise

I do like reading exercise updates on blogs. I'd ask, at the end of this post, where you are at with fitness these days, but the truth is, I guess I'm not looking for new things to try right now.  I've got a whole lot of apathy (i.e. burnout) going on.  I do feel like I've talked about exercise an awful lot over the last 2 years, so this is just an update about where I'm at right now.  

It is becoming very apparent to me that there is a fine line when it comes to me and going to the gym.
Right now, I'm in the position where I can't tell if I don't want to go to the gym because I don't find it necessary to go to the gym…

Or, I can't tell if I slipped into a mid-winter lazy depressive state and I just don't WANT to go.  There's a difference between these two.

During the winter of 2011 I fell into lazy-don't-wanna-go depression.

During the winter of 2012, I forced myself to go so that wouldn't happen.

During the winter of 2013, it was me forcing myself because I knew I was just being a whiner.  Also, I had a community there, and knew I'd get an email the next day asking me where I was.  Accountability is always the key.

This winter, I have no idea what category I fall into.

This article about Happy Exercise vs. Stressed Exercise really struck a chord with me:

The moral of this story is not that exercise is bad.  But we need to look at the motivating forces that drive us to exercise.  Healthy habits driven by fear are not so healthy after all.  

So, lately, I've been doing Pilates everyday (10-15 minutes) and going to one 30 minute class a week.  On Monday nights I go to RPM Express or BodyPump Express, depending on my mood.  It's quite a turnaround from 7-8 months ago!  I'm okay with that though.  Somewhere along the line I realized I wasn't getting a whole lot of enjoyment out of the gym.

I do realize it's important to get your heart rate up and I like muscle tone; so I go when I can.  I've found I can commit to a Monday night class.  I could probably do Thursday night too, but there's that whole "I DON'T WANT TO" thing stopping me.

Again, I'll encourage you to try The Balanced Life if you even have the inkling of giving Pilates a try.  I'm a believer in it! For workouts at home (if I'm so inclined and sometimes I am), I like The Nike Training Club.  Also, I'm a fan of just taking the dog for a walk.

Lately, I've found myself stressed out by work, the impending move, and looking into future employment.  Also, since Scott isn't home for dinner every night, I like being home with him and the dog in the evenings when I can.  I usually do some kind of toning workout before bed and call it a day.

So that's where we are.  I have no sage advice or expertise to offer.  I'm kinda over the gym thing right now.   I'm the same weight as I've been for at least a year, my pants still fit the way they did 6 months ago, and I still have muscle tone.  Therefore, I must be doing something right, and I'm not too worried about this fitness dry spell.  Sometimes we just need a break, right?

Scott is, and always will be, a runner.  I went on what was supposed to be a 7 mile run/walk with him last week.  I made it a mile and started walking.  My legs were killing me.  He just looked at me and said, "I thought you ran a 10K a few months ago?"  I did, friends.  Motivation for me is the key.  Unless something is chasing me or there is a finish line up ahead, I have a hard time caring.  Needless to say, it became a 5 mile walk and even Scout was glaring at me.  Apparently I slow the dog down.

I would like to do another 5K.  Maybe this spring?  I can get behind 3.2 miles.  I'm also really excited about hiking in Colorado.  We used to hike in Alaska (mostly pre-blog, back when I would still go outside), and I think it'll be a fun hobby to get back into.  Sometimes authentic exercise is so much better than spinning away to nowhere in a class, right?

Other Healthiness posts:

Everyday Banana Bread

Green Smoothie with Flax

Lunch

Pilates

Dinner

Breakfast

Obviously..

...the random lady at the gym does not read this blog.

She was appalled when I told her I didn't like Alaska.  I didn't bring up the topic.  She did. (I swear!).
She started talking about all the "cool" stuff she does out-of-doors and how she "loves to play" in this "great" state.

And she left an opening for me to, clearly, share my own adventure story.  So I said, "Yeah, I don't go outside."

She said, "Oh, I just pack up a .45...."

I said, "No, I have guns, I don't fear the bears, I just don't go outside.  I don't like being outside in Alaska."

She was flabbergasted.  And then started talking about how the "people here are the best, not like the ones in the lower 48".  (You hear that guys??  Alaskans hate all y'all.)

I said, "I'm from the lower 48.  I'd fit in better there."

And the she proceeded to go on and on about how her husband works overseas (clearly how the boob job and facelift were paid for) and how she parties all the time and exercises all the time (it didn't show) and blahblahblah.

I know she was expecting that life to sound adventurous and appealing, but it made me sad for her.

Not only did it seem like parties and the freedom to play were the only things on her mind, she had no mention of being thankful for leading this life of leisure (think: Real Housewives or wannabe Kardashian).

More importantly:  Who would choose to lead a life like that in Alaska?  She belongs in L.A.  Or, you know, New Jersey.  She was more New Jersey housewife than L.A. housewife.

(She has more in common with those lower-48-ers than she thinks.)

It was an awful conversation and I was glad when it ended.

Onto a separate issue.

This outfit, I'm pretty sure, doesn't even match.

Sweater:  B.Moss (old) // Skirt: From the PX // Boots: Steve Madden //  Scarf:  Aerie

But, it was comfortable.  And that skirt has pockets.  Win-win.

Oh and going back to "I don't go outside", it's probably not coincidental that this was a search term for my blog last week:

And proud of it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, oh!  Don't forget!  Allie and I sent out the partners for The Great Pumpkin Swap!  You've got the next 2-ish weeks to shop.  Mail the packages by November 2nd, and hop on back here for the link-up on November 9th!

Sharing at YOLO Monday!

What do you do with a Turbokick certification anyway??

You may ask, "Well, Kristin, you talk about this Turbokick stuff an awful lot these days.  Are you going to teach it?"


No.  I'm not.  Not now anyway.  I'm going to keep taking classes, I'm going to practice at home, and I'm going to hopefully be a sub for some of the classes I go to.  I'm not good enough to teach my own class yet.  That's the honest-to-goodness truth.  


I was offered a job to teach.  Here's why I'm not doing it...


Last January, when I started doing Turbokick, I fell in love with it.  It is a 45 minute cardio-kickboxing  routine.  It's choreographed to music and was invented (and trademarked) by a woman about 15 years ago in California.  So the instructor doesn't make up the choreography.  I buy the "round"(routine), learn it, and teach it.  You do the same round with your class for about 2 months and then you switch to a new one.  You can go back and forth to favorite rounds, modify moves, combine parts of different rounds, etc.  There are 51 rounds out there.  You can't even buy them to do at home unless you are a certified instructor (this was why I wanted to be certified).  New rounds come out a few times a year.

Then, at one of the gyms I go to, it came about that the Turbokick instructors were leaving and needed to be replaced.  I mentioned that I was taking the certification course, and they got all excited.  And I kinda did too.  I mean, maybe this was just opportunity knocking at the door?

Then I found out that, along with my expensive little TK certification (which I was going to get regardless), I had to become a group fitness instructor to teach at this particular gym.  This requires textbooks and studying and a very expensive test *sigh*.  Alright, whatever.  We have the money right now, I can do it, I'll have my dedicated hobby x number of days a week and all will be well.  If the gym decides to hire me and if I don't freak out/pass out at the thought of leading a class with a microphone attached to my body and if the gym can find a two more instructors because I can't teach all the classes because I have that burdensome thing called a real job.  *sigh*

Oh, and then I'd have to study for, pay for, and pass this crazy long test.  Some people study for this test for a year.  It's their life-long dream to become a fitness instructor.  They go to college for it.  

I'd have to take this test by the end of July.

Plus, I need my CPR certification renewed.  I had it in high school.  It expired.  (And let me just add that I'm a bit appalled that school districts don't provide this as an in-service training.)  The military base also does not provide this service.  That's right:  They will not CPR-certify spouses or dependents, only active duty/reservist soldiers.  I can't even pay anywhere on base.  They won't do it.  I was told to go to Anchorage and pay $110 (on top of the fees I'm paying to take these crazy tests) in order to become CPR-certified.  No (freaking) way.  (I should also add that the gym looking to employ new instructors is on base.  But they won't provide any of the training.)

There were one too many variables for me to be comfortable.  I can't believe that, in the midst of deployment, I've decided to take the only supposedly relaxing time I have (June/July) and mold it into a giant ball of "what if?".  Because we all need more of that in our lives, right?

At this point, I was just angry with myself because I brought this on.  ME.  I can blame no one for this one.  And we were already hundreds of dollars into this thing, much more if you count all the trips to the gym and all the new workout clothes I had to buy.

Now I was at the point where I didn't need/want another stressor.  I know some stress is good for you.  However, while I may have the time on my hands now, I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose my mind once school starts again.
I messed up my favorite hobby.  I stole the enjoyment from it while trying to take it to the next level.  Dumb. While I think I could teach Turbokick, I don't think I have it in me to be a certified group fitness instructor right now.
It was made even more confusing by the fact that my husband was all, "Do it! Do it! Do it!".
Maybe he just wants to see me leave the house more often...

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In the end,  I decided I don't need to do this.  Not now, anyway.  Sure, I already bought all those pesky biology/fitness manuals.  I can study them at my own rate and take the test at a later date.   Eventually I DO want to be a group fitness instructor.  I just don't think it's something I can decide to do and pursue in 6 weeks' time.

My plan is to have this as a back-up job so I don't have to get a real job in the next place we go.  Scott is definitely in denial over this.  He thinks I want to work.  ha.  Want to work?  I want to cook, eat, exercise, and peruse the internet all day.  (Don't we all??)  

Dear crazy-I'm-gonna-workout-everyday Self,

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 It's been 4 months since you said you were going to workout everyday.

This is how it went down.

In January, you decided to start running again.  Normally, you despise running and are a fan of "the class".  You began running on the treadmill every afternoon, including Sundays, for anywhere from 1-5 miles, depending on your mood.  This is why you don't like running.  No accountability or push.  You only began running on the treadmill because this could be done right after school, before it got really dark outside.  You don't like being out after dark.  Yeah, you're kinda weird.

The running went on for approximately a month.  Running 6 days a week and Turbokick on Saturdays.  Once in awhile, when the ambition struck, you hit up a 5:15am Spin class before school.  That was not very often.

By mid-February, you were having stomach issues.  Pain.  Feeling sick every time you ate.  The doctors said it was stress and suppressed anxiety.  They ran tests and gave you pills.  The pills helped, but not before you had taken a couple of weeks off from working out.  Sickness will do that to you and it's okay.

Around spring break, you stopped running and started going to classes.  Spin, RIPPED, Body Blast, Turbokick.  And they were fun.  They gave you purpose and accountability.  You liked it.  So you stopped the whole ridiculous running thing.  (Seriously, Kristin.  You hate it.  Just knock it off and spend your energy elsewhere.)

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It's been over 2 months since you've committed to 6 classes per week.  You've done it.  You've seen and felt the changes in your body.  You're stronger.  SO much stronger.  The best shape you've been in, maybe ever.

So those size 2 jeans may never really fit the same way again.  And if you were willing to give up ice cream or marshmallows (you are not), maybe you'd be able to starve yourself supermodel thin.  But you're not in high school and being a size 0 doesn't really matter.   Keep telling yourself that the most attractive girls are NEVER the size 0 girls anyway, because that's the truth. (Kate is the exception to this rule always.)

But now you know.  You know what it's like to put in the effort.  To have the best body you can achieve (once again, still not giving up the ice cream).  To really be in shape.  And to know you got that way because you've worked at it and you put in the effort.

There's no more wondering "what if" you got off the couch.  Because you DID get off the couch.  And now you'll continue to stay off the couch because you love how it feels.

Sincerely,
You-better-be-ready-to-really-get-your-butt-in-shape-this-summer-because-that's-what-we-do-with-2 1/2-months-off

P.S.  Way to make that expensive gym membership worthwhile. Your husband is glad his hard-earned money is being put to good use.
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Hit up the About Me for more posts on my fitness journey so far this year.


Have you made fitness progress lately?  Any positive changes in your workout or something new to share?  I'm always looking for tips!

Thoughts on...Spin Class

On an unrelated note...

The mountains beyond my backyard

And this is what they look like from the dining room window...Why yes, this IS where I take all my "moose shots" from.  See the tracks?? 

I was really just looking out at the 7:30pm daylight and decided to take some pictures.

Anyway...
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I usually try to do food posts on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.  Or let's call this what it is.."dessert posts" are what I do MWF.

But today, let's talk exercise.

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Who does spin (cycling) class?

I tried it for the first time last summer.  It's kind of become my go-to workout.  It's more fun than running (i.e. it doesn't make me hate myself).  It's less effort than Body Blast or R.I.P.P.E.D.  Good for those days when I don't feel like bouncing around in a dance studio.  My workout of choice for the past few months has been Turbokick.  Unfortunately, it can only fit into my schedule on Saturdays.  So I've been trying to get to spin at least two days a week.

I've taken spin class with several different instructors.  I'm convinced that good music=a good spin class.  As for the instructors who like to play Sarah McLachlan, Smashing Pumpkins, and Snow Patrol?  Please don't.  It makes me want to scream.  I've been known to listen to my iPod during spin class, just because I don't.want.to.listen.to.Tina.Turner.  Is that so wrong??  Didn't think so.

To the instructor who played "Lips of an Angel"??  Not cool.  That's a little bit too much of 2006 for me. 

My favorite place to take Spin is the Elmendorf (Air Force) gym.  They have the bikes that track mileage and RPMs.  Makes me feel accomplished.  I did 23 miles the other day.  Also, the gyms on base, both Ft. Richardson and Elmendorf, are freeeeeeee.  Plus, the music is spot-on.  Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Flo Rida.  Stuff that was designed to spin to. 

Unfortunately, I live 40 minutes from the base, so I pay a rather unseemly amount of money per month to go to a gym near me.  Their spin classes are okay.  They serve their purpose.   I like to stick with certain instructors because every one has a different style.   The problem arises when the instructors "sub" for each other and I end up listening to Sarah McLachlan and death-gripping a hover position because my ears are bleeding from the bad music.

Have you tried Spin?
If not, what's your favorite cardio?? 
(I think I've already asked this...forgive me, it's Monday.)