Be Fit

It's always good to be creative and turn up your fitness workout every so often. Making it fun and interactive, make your feel more accountable and no so alone when traveling down the fitness journey road. This year, I have a few things going on in the fitness department that will make working out fun. I mean, who wants to go to the gym, just life a bunch of weights, and go home. The people who can do that have more motivation and drive than I do. So here's what I have "signed up for" to keep my fitness level up, keep me motivated, and try to reach new goals. Goals, let's talk about that.....
Goals can be reached with a few small changes in your life. Remember, change won't happen unless you change sometime. For example, small changes in your day may be to drink more water everyday, to go to the gym four times a week, and keep a fitness/food journal. Small changes like these will help you reach an overall goal. Overall goal may be to lost those last few stubborn pounds, to feel healthier, to run a marathon, etc. Could be anything, so be creative in setting goals and making changes today to reach them.
A few small changes that I'm putting into place is to put treadmill running sessions into my workout schedule. For me, when I strength train, I inadvertently put cardio on the back burner, but it's important to add cardio into your weekly workout schedule. Especially when one of my goals is to run a minimum of 8 5k's this year.
So whatever your overall goal is, put small changes into effect today to reach them.

Zumba, Olive Garden, Fireworks!

Okay, this was definitely a great day! Another great day I must say! :) Today I started the day with taking my dog for his favorite ride thru the Dunkin Donuts drive thru, he loves that even though he doesn't get anything out of it for munchies, but it's still an adventure for him. I'm gonna have to change my diet there soon, I going to go with the Oatmeal more often, I like their Oatmeal and compared to everything else they have there, it's probably one of the most healthiest food they sell. Actually, now that my curiosity is peaked, let take a looksey....according to their website Dunkin Donuts
One Dunkin Donuts Blueberry Muffin - 460 Calories and 130 Calories From Fat
Original Oatmeal with dried Fruit Topping - 270 Calories and 35 Calories From Fat
let's go with a classic just for comparison sake - One Jelly Donut - 270 Calories and 130 Calories From Fat
So, now that that's out of the way.......let's take a peek at my favorite Yogurt (since Dunkin Donuts doesn't sell Yogurt which they should, we will have to go to the grocery market to get this, but grocery markets don't have drive thru which is inconvenient for the "doggie ride"), but we will put in my favorite Yogurt right here anyways: Yoplait Strawberry  Orginial Yogurt which is my favorite. This is picture is pulled from their website.

So, that is that.....let's move on with my day.......

I also started my day with an hour of Zumba!! :) I love Zumba and I should do more of it. I found a great place with the nicest teachers locally, it's called Vive La Dance. This studio does it ALL, from Zumba to TRX, they have a very flexible schedule. So I'm going to try the TRX this weekend coming up.

Then moving on with my day today. I did have to go do some work today for a few hours and that was pretty uneventful. Then I caught up with some friends after work and then watched the fireworks here. I'm not really a fan of the whole noise and lights of fireworks, so I usually just watch them and let my mind drift off into some direction aimlessly until the fireworks are done. Then I went online tonight and played a friendly, free game of online poker. And out of 188 players, I finished 38th. Oh, well, I'll try again next time.

The Perfect Gym??

As we all know I've been on a mission to find the perfect gym (for me). "For me" means time convenience, I wanted something that started around 7pm, location means I don't want to spend more time on the road getting to the gym, than actually at the gym, and price meaning that I don't want to pay more than $100 a month for a gym, and lastly what the gym services offered to me, I'm looking for ab core work, shoulder/arm work, overall conditioning work, toning work with stretching in a group class setting. Is this so hard to find. Well, I've spent the last two months scouting out the gyms around my neighborhood with a pretty big radius and I've take a free class here and there at different gyms. Some were good, some just didn't meet my criteria, moving on to the next gym and so on. Well, as I appreciated the "free class" offer to really see first hand what the class offered, it made what I was looking for more clear. So when I routinely stopped by, once again, another gym to check out, this particular gym I just felt that this one could offer what I was looking for. Let's go thru the check list:

• Their classes go from 7pm to 8pm Monday thru Thursday and Saturday 9am to 10am
• Classes consist of boxing/kickboxing training, core strengthening, shoulder and arm strengthening
• Progressive classes - level 1 classes to work thru, leading up to level 2 and then level 3 classes
• Price! $99 for 9 weeks of unlimited classes. I'll let you do the break down of cost per class (not bad!)
• Location: 4 miles from my job! Enough said :)

So, I think this will work out for me and I'll keep you updated with my work out progression with this gym as I move along through their program.

The Search For The Perfect Gym Continues...

My May was a quiet one......not too much going on, what I had scheduled was just predictable social time. Getting caught up on some bills and trying not to spend too much recreational money, so close to paying stuff completely off. I did splurge this weekend and went to the movies to see "Now You See Me", it was an "OK" movie with some action, but I think the cheesy predictable romance portion of it could of been kept out. But, it was just an ok movie and I won't have to see it again. I'll be looking for new movies coming out over the summer.

I bought a domain name over the weekend (yes, another one) and those are never expensive, you just hope to make something out of it that will recoup some of the $14.00 you dropped into buying it. So I'll be playing around with that over the next few months.

Like I said June is here and I have a few things going on to pre-occupy myself. I have a few educational clinics coming up, along with a few free classes at gyms I'm looking into. Over the past few months I've been scoping out different gyms and taking advantage of their "free one class" and "free two week" classes. Every gym has it's promotion going on and I've been hopping around using the promotion to find a gym that fits me and what I'm looking for to suit my fitness needs. Let me stop and explain what I'm looking for so we are all on the same page: I'm looking for a hands on self defense class to learn street level defense moves to protect myself in a dangerous situation. I'm also looking for a class that would keep me fit and in shape. If this is two different gyms, then so be it, but that's the nuggets that I'm looking for. And another thing I've learned by doing this is that when you talk to a gym and they explain (with the best of intentions) that they have what you are "looking for", you still have to take the time to try the free classes to see for yourself and judge for yourself if that class's technique and structure is what you are looking for.

So over the last few months I've been taking advantage of about 7 different gym promotions, STILL not happy with the results of the class. One of the gyms was a CrossFit box gym, I was very excited about the CrossFit frenzy until I saw the trainers were on their cell phones texting and typing something out vigorously and not paying attention to the students form and execution of the exercises, also giving "blow off" answers to any questions the students had to and answer of "Just do what's on the white board". Very disappointment in the attentiveness of the trainers there.

My next free session of classes was at a kickboxing class. I liked this class and their hours fit into my schedule and also the price plan weren't too bad either. The problem? Too far for me to go. Yep, it was way out of the way for me between my job and going home. I would need something on the route home so the search continues.

I found a gym that was convenient to my route home. Great location and offered great classes including the infamous "TRX" class which I was hoping to try out. The guy that hosted my tour and gave me all my info on this gym was nice, but you know those people who "show" off what they know trying to impress you on what they know and when they teach you, it's more talking and less teaching. Well, simple put, the teacher talked more than he trained. I understand that he has to explain it to us, but getting comfortable on the floor to watch him demonstrate it over and over in more of an advance level instead of a beginners level, just wasn't my pace of learning. If that wasn't enough of me the leave, the price sure was because I wasn't paying $145 dollars a month to learn a few basic formatted moves and exercises that wouldn't help me on the street to defend myself. Moving on......

Next stop was at a Martial Arts Kempo school. They were having a two week free trial and I jumped on board to learn what Kempo was all about. Again, this is what I'm talking about when I say talk is nothing compared to what actually happens in class. So Kempo was explained to me verbally and I was showed a few preliminary moves. Then they put me in the class setting. Whoa! Can you say "kid friendly". This program is designed around kids ages 7 years old to 15 years old. There were so older people in the classes and if they liked to be talked to like a 7 years old and do 10 push up (and no more), then the class is coddled for them. It was too elementary for me and the price after the two weeks (which I did use up the entire two week trial) was way too high for my budget coming in at about $42 dollars  a week for a 45 minute class twice a week. No thank you, I left after my two week trial.

Next stop was a MMA class, (I thought "Now this is getting exciting!"), so I contacted the MMA school right down the street from my house, I could walk there in 30 minutes. So I stop by and the classes are from 6:30pm to 8pm. Grrrrrrrr, I get out of work at 6:30pm and couldn't make it to class until 7pm on the nose. The teachers said he didn't mind having a class interrupted with a late student due to my circumstances, but I felt funny about it. Walking into a class half way thru and finding a partner to train with and then playing catch up with what I learned the last half hour......I just don't know.....so no. The price wasn't too bad here coming in at $99 a month for unlimited classes. (Note: no morning classes at all). So all there was for me was for me to interrupt classes and play catch up. I'll pass.

Now, this brings me up to where I am now. I've found two gyms that are relatively (no complains on location) close to my work and my home. So far, so good. Each gym (separate gyms) are offering a one class for free which I will be going to one of the gym's free classes on this coming Thursday 7pm to 7:50pm. Did you get that: 7pm to 7:50pm - I can do that!! And also the price isn't too bad either sitting at $85 dollars a month for unlimited classes. The other gym closer to my house is all about self defense (as they put it "on a street level") but I don't know the hours of the classes yet nor do I know the price of the classes to continue after the one free class. I did email them today to find out this information, I'm hoping to hear back from them sometime this week or I'll be stopping by and paying a visit on the way home from work. Both of their websites looked like women friendly and encourage no experienced students to sign up, that's a plus :)

So my quest for the perfect gym is still underway and we will see what this week brings to the table. Have a good night, I'll be back to update you! :)

Another Uneventful Week

Well, everything here has been quiet this week......well, quiet except for Jake's little bell. We've been working to try to have him hit the little bell when he wants a snack......he's a smart cookie so I have to watch him like a hawk because I'll put the treat under the bell but he will try to distract me on something else and then he will run over and claw at the bell overturning the bell to get the treat so he doesn't have to ring the bell (hello run on sentence.....I'm not fixing it, you are on your own lol!). So anyways, I'm trying to stop him from overturning the bell and to just tap the top of it for the "bing" noise to get the treat. He's almost got it, but not yet. I see sometimes when he gets frustrated he will do another trick, like roll over, to get the treat........like I said, we still need some work on the bell......but, that's okay, I have all this time off just for him :) My sentence structure is awful tonight, but I'm moving on, you can figure out what I'm saying I'm sure. :)

I haven't really spent any money this week or done anything exciting. I know I've got to get back on the fitness wagon again and start going back to the gym. I like going there and I have some unplayed podcasts on my Blackberry I want to listen to......oh, and don't forget my Dr. Oz on TV that I like to watch while getting some miles behind me on the treadmill.......so I will go to the gym tomorrow morning (well, morning for me is like 9:30 and Dr. Oz starts at 10am), so everything works out perfectly.

Okay, confession time.......I've been lazy about my blog updates because......because.....well, because......of Poker......I said it, Poker! I know, I know, but the (free) poker site I'm playing on is very addicting and social, and some of you know how I am when it comes to being social. I'm no good at poker and I have alot to learn and I'll never become a millionaire off poker, but that's why my blog updates have been so sporadic. What I have to do is get out of the house more with Jake and the camera......so tomorrow I'll take my camera and go snap some shots at something....not sure what yet, but I'm sure Jake can help me.

So unfortunately, I don't have much of an update, but I'm still here. Have a good night, I'll be back! :) And if you are keeping track, this is my 86th blog posting.....

Walk and Class

This morning I joined my walking group as we ventured 4 miles from the West Side Arena all the way to the river walk, it doesn't sound far, but it is. My routine is to talk to the seniors that walk with me all the way down one way and then on the way back I know they have their little circle of gossip, so I go up on ahead of them and on the way back I listen to my Pandora Radio app that is in my Blackberry with my headphones. So I get the best of both worlds, talking with seniors and enjoying their company; and then walking by myself getting into my music. I like that.

Tomorrow I'm going to the gym around 9:45am to make sure I get there on a angled treadmill that faces the TV monitor square on that will have Dr. Oz on for the hour. Anddddddddd, I have my walking routine down to a science too. Since there are many commericals that come on between the TV show; when the Dr. Oz show is on, I put the treadmill in a 2.5 miles per hour walk, 10% uphill grade......you know, the pretty easy strolling stuff, BUT when the commercials come on, I hike up the speed to 3 and up the treadmill grade to 50% thru the commercials, so you see, I get a great treadmill work out for an hour; "cooling down" while the show is on; and "cranking up the heartbeat workout" while the commercials are on. I think it's a win/win situation and I get to watch my show and after my show is done I cool down at the end with my Blackberry Pandora App with songs I like. It doesn't get any more Cardio than that! I'm telling ya, it's like Rocket Science. LOL! :)

Tonight's Blogging class was good, I'm always glad I go. It might be hard to leave the sofa to show up, but it's one of those things where when you get there, it's exactly where you want to be! :) We had to write a short story (very short), maybe like 9 or 10 lines total about a Cherished Memory in our past. Of course I wrote about something simple as my dog. I cherish the times with my dog. If you don't know that, then you don't know me :) We also learned in class about RSS feeds and how they can help your blog in the long run and create followers. You always want your RSS feed address to be available.

As for the rest of my day. I didn't do much at all. I had a nap on the sofa........I'm thinking that's got to be a Cherished Moment right there :)

Anyways, I'm gonna go to the gym tomorrow morning and do my TV show/commercial work out routine on the treadmill for an hour and then come home and take Jake out for a while. I don't have errands to do tomorrow, so I think we will find a park to go to and we will wander around until his little legs are tired and I have to help him in the car and place him on the seat where he will crumble onto the seat and curl up and fall asleep right there in front of me. NOW, whether this actually happens this way is a completely different story. See that!! That, right there, was a prime example of wishful thinking LOL! :)

Have a good night and I will bug you tomorrow and hopefully with some more pictures. :)

Fun Day - Stayed Local

Hello! Well today was a good day once it got started. It seemed like I had woke up at 6:30pm to do my bathroom duties, and then went back to bed. Then at 9am I woke up, toasted some raisin english muffins, ate them, and went back to bed. Then at noon, I woke up again. Weird. I was feeling okay, just couldn't stay away from that bed for some reason. Jake slept in late with me too, cause when I woke up at noon, he was laying next to me. Mom got home from work at 1:30 so it all worked out and I got plenty of time to get ready to start my day (or what was left of it).My Mom and I went to Planet Fitness down the street from me and signed up for a membership for each of us. It was $9 dollars down and $10 a month which I can't complain. I have a Gold's Gym membership which I do like. Gold's Gym is way different than Planet Fitness. They each offer totally different amenities. Gold's Gym has group classes which Planet Fitness and Planet Fitness has smaller classes for training sessions. I got some pictures........

See my two membership key cards!!

Leg Presses at Planet Fitness

Picture of the Planet Fitness gym

I used the treadmill for a while at Planet Fitness

So that was fun and I really enjoyed that gym. There's a Subway next door (how convenience that we had lunch at before we did our work out.

Oh, Did you want to see my new tires that I bought yesterday!! Those cost me a pretty penny, but the car runs better than ever and it's all about safety first! :) And it passed inspection with flying colors.





Today we also went for a bicycle ride with Jake and my Dad! We went around the neighborhood and it was super easy......do you know why......cause our bicycles are errrrrrrrr.....I guess you can called them "Hybrids" Haha!! Yep, they have an electric motor on the back side of the bicycle that will help you move along I'll show you.......(Yeah, I got my new camera out now!) :)

First I want to explain a little technology behind these bicycles. These bicycles are equipped with a TAG and PAS system in which users can select between two modes.

The TAG (Twist And Go) requires no pedalling at all. A simple twist of the throttle and the bicycle goes. Twist further for higher speed, less for lower speed. It's the most basic technology, easy to use and understand.

The PAS (Pedal Assist System) mode operates when throttle must be activated and rider must be pedaling in order to operate the motor. Basically when you are pedaling the bicycle is when the motor will kick in to tell you out ;)

These bicycles are called the IZIP Hybrid Electric Bicycles - this website will help you learn more about these NEAT bicycles......

We put the basket on the front to let Jake ride around with us :)

Jake get really comfy in his basket as we cruise around

There's the two blue battery packs (there is a key to lock the batteries in place).....you can control which battery
you want to work off of from......the batteries will go 15 - 22 miles and top speed in TAG is 15 miles per hour

You can get these optional saddle bags and do you see the silver electric motor right there

We have two of them we bought about two years ago

I snapped this picture cause i wanted to show you the name on the side of the frame

This evening we went down to the river near where we live (we drove the car, not on the bikes) and the "Make A Wish Foundation" was have a charity event raising $36,000 and HOW are they trying to accomplish this you ask?? Put two guys on a raft on the Merrimack river for 36 hours straight. This event started on Tuesday July 26 at 8am and finished on Wednesday July 27 at 6pm or later when they reach their goal of $36,000. I got some cool pictures of this that I think you will enjoy......I had a great time there.....

There's all the action over there!

A decent size crowd to support the event

Jake has a fan everywhere.....nothing new there :)

The rafters are Jason Tremblay and Jason Perry

They are having too much fun!

Here's a picture of the Merrimack River to the north

Here's the southbound side

"Hey, can I get in Raft too??"

"Think I can jump from here??"

Make A Wish

Well that was my day today.....I got a late start today, but I got alot done today too. I'll sign off now and I hope you have a nice day. Nite Nite! :)