Here I am!

Greeting and salutations! (anyone know what movie that is from?)

Between work travel and pleasure travel, I've definitely been a bit sparse on the post front.  However I am back now and will do my best to get back in to the groove.

Coming back from vacation is hard.

By the last day, we were ready to leave, but then once it came time to actually leave, we weren't.  Getting home to non-stop rain made me miss it even more.

Maybe it's just me, but historically these all-inclusive vacations are heavy on overindulgence.  While I may not eat a ton more, I definitely eat things I don't usually eat.  The breakfast buffet on my last trip had Nutella, which just spelled trouble for me.  This one didn't have it, so while I missed it, it was probably a good thing.  Plus there's the drinking.  I'm not much of a drinker at home, so any drinking is an increase.

Amazingly I didn't gain much weight, maybe a pound or two, but I'm not even sure about that.  Phew.

We tried to be active and work out but it didn't really happen.  One morning we went for a nice walk, so I guess that counts for something, and another morning we did a walk/run combo, but that was it.  It gets hot and humid so quickly and the gym there is just "eh".  Oh well, it was vacation and the break was nice.

My schedule is still a bit off so I'll be back to things on Saturday.

Since this post is light on the fit talk, here's some eye candy...

So long, farewell

It's just about vacation time and I'll just say that it's MUCH needed.

This past week has been nuts!  NY on Saturday, back to CT on Sunday, MA on Tuesday, back to CT on Thursday and then time to head out of dodge, just in time!

I've got a gazillion things to do tonight, plus I'm teaching, but I just wanted to throw up a quick post.

I'll leave you with this and catch you on the flip side.

Yay groupon! (edited to say, ooops, Living Social!!)

Greetings!

I'm travelling for work and at a conference so the schedule fluctuates between very slow and so crazy.  I've got a few minutes before the chaos starts again.

I used to say that my dream was to open a cycling studio.  However I knew that it would be pricey to the customers so not just any town would work.  I didn't do anything with this but still think it would be pretty neat.

I was excited but a bit jealous when a few of the people I know of through Spin Odyssey went ahead and opened up a studio in a wealthy town near by.

When they opened I checked out their website for pricing.  One class was $20.  Yes, one spin class, $20.  If you told me my $20 was going to a non-profit that would be one thing, but this, not so much.  So while I thought it was cool, I wasn't game for the financial hit.

It pretty much made my day when the generic Living Social email saying "5 Fitness Classes" was in fact for this very cycling studio.  5 classes for $25!!  Wowsers.  So I bought two; one for me and one for Don Juan.  I can't wait to try it out!

Stay tuned for a full review.  One of the instructors does a Tabata class that I'm sooooo curious about.

That aside, I'm leaving for vacation in about 36 hours.  Yikes!

The stairs to hell

I've written about this beast before, but figured it was worth revisiting.

Does your gym have one of these?  Have you used it?  If not, I definitely suggest giving it a try if you're looking to mix things up.

This machine gets my heart rate up and the sweat pouring like no other machine.

Lately I've been using it for 15 minutes.  I start out relatively slow for the first 5 minutes and then add a level every 3 minutes or so, although it varies.  I try to really push myself for the final minute.  Just the warm up 5 has my heart rate up and my legs wondering how they're going to make it through the next 10 minutes.

When I get off the machine after 15 minutes I look as though I've just run a marathon, or fought a battle.  I am out of breath and seriously covered in sweat.  It blows my mind that just 15 minutes can have that effect.

If you give it a try, remember, it's all about the legs, so use the handle bars for balance, not support.  I frequently see people hunched over the handlebars holding themselves up because the level they're working at is too high.  The machine takes some getting used to.  It usually takes me a few minutes to be able to look up (as opposed to watching my feet and the steps so I don't fall), but then I change the level and have to acclimate all over again.

Thing is, your high up in the air, so if you lose your footing you might really fall.  That's a little intimidating.  But if you can get past that, it's a nice vantage point.

What makes you smile?

Some days it takes a lot to make me smile, other days it's so simple.

Yesterday, this made me smile...

I had seen this backpack at Kohl's a few weeks ago and LOVED the pattern.  But then I saw the price tag and realized I didn't really need it.  Well, I was at Kohl's yesterday with my mother and this bag was on clearance for $16!  (plus my mother had a 30% off coupon)
So this bag is now my new spin bag.  Yay!

My old spin bag did the trick, but everything didn't really fit inside it and things were always hanging out.

This bag took me back to when I was in elementary or middle school and also made me think of Lisa Frank (who was the hottest for folders/notebooks etc.)




Do you remember this?

 Today I'm also smiling because it's Friday.  However I'm not smiling because it's chilly here.  It was like fall arrived yesterday at 5pm.  It was WEIRD.

This weekend will be a busy one, but it's all good stuff so I hope to enjoy every moment.

Plus, I leave for vacation in one week.  To say I'm ready would be an understatement.

Enjoy your Fridays and have a great weekend!

Body Rock?

The Fitnessista's post on BodyRock intrigued me so I headed over to the site to check it out.

This was the first video I watched.  Mind you, I watched it at work.  It's a good thing I'm alone in the office because from all the heavy breathing (and nothing else) you'd never have guessed I was watching something appropriate.

She is in amazing shape and seemed standoffish, until she spoke at the end of the video at which point she did seem very likable.

Have you tried BodyRock?

Instructor Question

Spinning instructors...I have a question for you.

Do any of your students/members spin their pedals backwards after class?

If so, how do you get them to stop?  What do you say?

The Spinning handbook mentions something about ultimately loosening (is that a word?) the screws (or whatever) that hold the pedals in place.  While that makes sense, after 45 minutes of pedaling forward, are they really going to undo it in 5 minutes pedaling backwards?

Is there a physiological reason why they shouldn't do this?

Also, feel free to post any questions you might have in the comments section and maybe we can help each other.