Friday Night Fun

We watched Across the Universe with Tucker (Austin's at a sleepover), and then Tucker and I had fun with the camera on the iMac. (Please note the neatly ironed collar and lapels on my hot pink giraffe pj's!) Incidentally, Across the Universe is a really good movie, and I already downloaded Joe Cocker's version of Come Together for my long run tomorrow!

P.S. As I was saying goodnight to Tucker, he said, "I have the weirdest and coolest mom!" That, friends, made my week!

The Good, Good Pig

I am reading a charming book titled "The Good, Good Pig" by Sy Montgomery. It's a true account of a woman who loves animals almost more than she loves people, and who raises a pig from birth to -- well, at this point he's 10 years old and weighs about 700 pounds. I highly recommend this book if you want a sweet, pleasant read.

Next up for me is "The Heroin Diaries" by Nikki Sixx, formerly of Motley Crue. Austin really wanted to read it, and although it looked very dark (it's about addiction and redemption), I told him he could read it, and then I wanted to read it. Well, Austin's done. Tim intercepted it and finished. So now it's my turn. I have a feeling I'm going to need a little "Good, Good Pig" to balance this one out.

Busy Week

Second newsletter written and distributed -- check!
Second month of boxing camp completed -- check!
Hot pink boxing gloves purchased -- CHECK!!!
Sixteen clients trained -- check!
Twenty miles run -- check (as of Saturday)!

Life is good -- CHECK!!!!!

Take 5 Tuesday

I found this on Katie's weblog and decided to play. Thanks Katie!

5 of your favorite blogs (in no particular order):

1. All my fitness friends' weblogs!
2. Alwyn Cosgrove's weblog (the guy KNOWS fitness!)
3. Tracy Reifkind's weblog (nobody better for creative kettlebell routines and great food inspiration!)
4. Anthony DiLuglio's newsletter (not technically a weblog, for great kettlebell teaching)
5. Cathe Friedrich's STS weblog (I can't wait!)
   

5 things you bought recently:

1. A jeans jacket and a gold/beige coat from CAbI -- beautiful stuff!
2. Some Brussels sprouts, which I roasted and drizzled with balsamic vinegar -- yum!
3. Two more plyo steps (I'm doing more partner training, and needed some supplies).
4. Vegetarian spring rolls from Nugget Market.
5. Cathe Friedrich's STS (Shock Training System).
   

5 of your favorite sports to watch:

1. Gymnastics, when Austin is competing.
2. Tae Kwon Do, when Tucker is competing.
3. The Sacramento Kings, when we have Tim's company's court-side seats.
4. Acrobatic gymnastics (a la Cirque du Soleil)
5. American Gladiators (ok, so it's maybe not exactly a sport, but it so fun!)
   

5 of your favorite numbers (if you have 5):

1. 3
2. 7
3. 13
4. 113
5. 127
   

5 completely random things:

1. I iron my flannel PJs, because I like the lapel and collar to be smooth.
2. I know I'm a geek at heart, but I'm totally good with it!
3. One of these days I'll learn to garden, but mostly plants just piss me off because they won't cooperate.
4. I have a new favorite lunch: baby carrots, multi-colored bell peppers, and 3 flavor hummus from Trader Joe's -- YUM!
5. Being vegetarian totally agrees with me and I really like it.
   

Do I get any bonus points?

This morning I ran 9 miles. It was raining. It was windy. One time the wind almost knocked me over. Do I get any bonus points for this? I know the answer. No. But the satisfaction after having done something tough? Well, that is priceless. And the frozen yogurt with carob chips (and 5 chocolate malt balls on top) that I ate guilt free? Priceless as well!

My oldest son...

...took SECOND PLACE in the Pacific Coast Classic, a huge gymnastics meet held in Oakland over the weekend! His coach thinks he could possibly win the state championships (in two weeks). I'll be sure to keep you posted.

A quote worth pondering

"You cannot out-exercise a poor diet."

I don't know who said it (wish I did).
It's true.

This will be discussed in my next newsletter.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Comments

Regarding "Fingers Crossed":

Regina -- thank you!
Colette -- thank you (and your words warmed my heart!)
Brit Man -- as always, thank you!
Anthony -- thanks for the heads up on your new address.
Irene -- thank you!
Katie -- thank you!
Evelyne -- thank you, and you're right -- eating peanut M&M's is much better than many alternatives!

It really was scary to press "send" for the newsletter, and then just have to wait and see. It was so great to get feedback here -- again, thank you!!!

Regarding "Quick Update":
Colette, Brit Man, and Katie -- I will be writing about the time with Tracy and Fawn soon!

Regarding "A few spare minutes":
Brit Man -- you are so right.
Irene -- I'm glad to hear that another trainer did the same thing.
Colette -- I'm so glad you're doing better, and I value our virtual friendship too!
Jen -- Thanks for the encouragement. And can you (one more time) send me an invitation to view your blog. Maybe 3rd time would be a charm?!?!

Regarding "Disappointment":
Again to everyone -- thank you for your thoughtful comments.
Colette -- I got the good beef at the Fruit Shed in Loomis (on Taylor Road between Horseshoe Bar and King). But I've heard there's a place in Granite Bay called Vander-something Meats that also has the good stuff. (It's on Douglas in the shopping center that has the restaurant called Toast).
Eileen -- I just finished EPL this week too. And I plan on listening again in the near future. So happy you liked it!

Doing much better

Thank you, everyone, for the insightful feedback. Yesterday I was able to get clarity and resolution on all 3 situations, which took some humility, some honest reflection, and (in one situation) entering into a difficult conversation (difficult because I was wrong and that's not easy to admit or face) and hanging in until things got resolved. In one situation (husband), it was a case of me overreacting to what happened (Colette, Brit Man, and Laurie -- your comments helped with this. Thank you!) In another (family member), it was me not slowing down enough to recognize the difficulty or significance of a struggle (Eileen -- you hit the nail on the head here. Thank you!). And with the final two (family member and friend) it was a combination of unrealistic expectations and me moving too fast (Regina -- thanks for the help here!).

So today is a new day and I'm feeling oh so much better. On today's agenda: training 5 clients, somehow fitting in my own workout, and driving to Oakland for the Pacific Coast Classic gymnastics meet, which is the last "regular" meet of the season.

Disappointment

I can handle disappointment. But disappointing others? It tears me up. And it feels like that's all I do these days. Who's disappointed?

My husband
A family member
Another family member
A close friend

They are disappointed for reasons that I'm sure feel very legitimate. But I'm having a hard time with knowing that I'm not living up to what they want. I alternate between wanting to shout, "Give me a break! I'm working all the time, running on very little sleep, and trying as hard as I can to keep up with life!!!" and wanting to melt like the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz. Fortunately boxing camp was tough this morning. Ten solid minutes of abs. 20 minutes of jump rope alternated with fast weight exercises. And 15 minutes non stop on the heavy bag. If not for boxing camp, I'd surely be breaking a chair today, and I don't have any more chairs I don't like!

Cooking and Kettlebells

I'm off to boxing camp, and then it's right into a crazy busy day. But if you want to read about the cooking and kettlebell seminar, check out Tracy's post here. I'll write my own thoughts as soon as I can...

A few spare minutes

A client commented the other day, "You must be in such great shape from training all of your clients, right?" Unfortunately, no. Just as having a two-story house does not make you thin (darn it!), training clients does not "count" as a workout. It does help with being generally active, for sure. But regular workouts need to be in the mix too. For example, here are my past few days of training:

Monday: boxing camp, train 2 clients
Tuesday: tough weight and kettlebell workout with a client (I have ONE client who I workout with at her request), train 3 more clients
Wednesday: boxing camp, train 6 clients
Thursday: boxing camp, 5 mile run
Friday: train 3 clients, P90X+ full-body workout, 4 mile run
Saturday (tomorrow): kettlebells with Fawn and Tracy!!!
Sunday (planned): 10 mile run

When I train clients, we warmup together and I sometimes do core exercises with them, but for the most part my activity is limited to demonstrating an exercise, spotting, or giving and taking weights needed for various exercises.

I suppose as I look at my week, it's not surprising that it's only 9:30 and I'm tired. But when Tim gets home (in the next 10 minutes or so) we are watching Lost (taped last night) and no amount of tiredness is going to stop me from that!

Quick update

Happy Friday everyone!

Really quick update here. Newsletter DID go out and feedback was positive and so appreciated! If you gave me your email address, I'll be sure to send you a copy over the weekend.

Today the kids are out of school. I'm training clients this morning, then just doing whatever the kids want for the afternoon.

Saturday is COOKING AND KETTLEBELLS with TRACY REIFKIND AND FAWN FRIDAY!!! I can't wait!!!

Sunday we'll be in San Francisco for Austin's gymnastics meet. This time the meet is at Fort Mason, which is right by Greens, one of my favorite restaurants. So we'll be sitting on bleachers, but we'll be eating out-of-this-world delicious food!

Much more to say, but no time to say it. Have a fabulous weekend!

Fingers crossed!

I just sent my first fitness newsletter, and I'm really nervous. Why? Because it's something new. Because I want people to like it. Because it's stepping outside of my comfort zone.

As I'm waiting for it to send, let me attempt to be a gracious person and reply to some of the wonderful comments I've received.

From the post "Birthday Haiku"
Carol -- thanks for the bday wishes!
Jen -- your birthday comment made my heart soar! I STILL can't read your weblog and I hate that. Email me sometime, ok?

From the post "Sugar Blues"
Katie -- yes, we've spent so much time at gymnastics studios! I didn't let my kids do gymnastics until they were 3 years old -- we didn't have the money to really cover much in the way of activities, and at 3, they could do a real class, not mommy and me. And with 2 kids just 2 years apart in age, that wasn't going to work.
Matt -- your comment made me laugh. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who benefits from your encouragement!
Evelyne -- I continue to be amazed by your progress. Keep up the great work!
Colette -- I'm glad you liked the dinner board idea. Nope -- the client is not our mutual friend, but I'd sure LOVE to work with her!


From "Ready to go"
Irene -- I'm glad you agreed with my decision to back out of the race. And yeah, the 50 is an ass-kicker!
Katie -- Thanks for asking about Tim. He finished in 5th place, I think, so he almost won the "toilet bowl" as they call the lower bracket of teams! But he had a great time playing, that's for sure!
Pamela -- I saw your email, and when I have time to breathe, I'll be checking out Facebook again!
Colette -- thanks for the welcome back! When do you want to do the trail again?
Evelyne -- I'll be happy to give you some tips on pullups. Email me at lgandy at starstream dot net.
LizN -- you made my day, girl! Thanks for the sweet words!

From "Boxing Camp Update" (which included my son's gymnastics video)
Katie, Pamela, Colette, Matt, Evelyne, Anonymous, and Jen -- your comments really made my son feel great -- thank you!
P.S. to Jen -- paying for college would be cheaper than going for the scholarship, I think, but if it's his passion, we're behind it 100%!

From "Almost-Weekend Update"
Colette -- the snow WAS perfect!
Matt -- as always, muchas gracias!
Sunshine -- I'm thinking of buying myself the pink gloves for V-Day, as husband doesn't celebrate it!
Evelyne -- yeah, I think you do have to box to get some. That's what prevents me from buying some of the oh-so-cute golf costumes, I mean clothes!
Laurie -- I don't have your email anymore. Please send it, ok?

From "Fun in the snow"
Laurie -- if you keep the pigtails low, they look kinda polished and good. Of course, if I want to embarrass my kids, I can just make 'em sproing out from the sides of my head!

From "If it weren't for my kids, I'd be thin!"
Laurie -- I like lots of other candy just fine. For example, don't put me NEAR Reese's pieces, or anything from See's or Godiva!
Stef -- you were in Vail? How cool! We snowboard, these days, at Sugarbowl at Tahoe. It's just a little over an hour from our front door.
Colette -- your comment made my whole WEEK better!
Matt -- merci beaucoup!
Katie -- thanks for the encouragement!
Irene -- the quarter idea is a good one...
Eileen -- EXCELLENT suggestion on getting back to the audio book! I haven't listened since -- who knows? I'm putting my iPod in the car right now!

You know, until I kept this weblog, I could NEVER keep a journal. I tried. I really tried. But it just seemed stupid and pointless. But this? This feels real because real people actually read what I write. (That just blows me away.) And sometimes they take the time to write to me. (REALLY blows me away.) What I'm trying to say is THANK YOU!

(I'll let you know how the newsletter thing goes...)

If it weren't for my kids, I'd be thin!

Kid #1 left his backpack at gymnastics. I've already driven the drive once (plus dropping his teammate off at home) and now I get to do it again.

Kid #2 is seemingly incapable of focusing on his homework. And I can't be here to help, because I'm driving in circles from Rocklin to Loomis.

(Tim is in Las Vegas for work. He is not in trouble.)

Is it any wonder that my best friend right now is the bowl of Peanut M&M's?

Perhaps I need to revisit John Berardi's first rule of good nutrition: It it's in your house, you will eat it! And I don't even LIKE Peanut M&M's! But I'm grabbin' a few more for the drive.

Fun in the snow

We had a great time snowboarding, as usual. And I posted this picture to show that even at 47 you can still wear pigtails. What's funny about this is that when I was 40, a friend suggested that I wear pigtails to some event we were going to -- I can't even remember what it was. But I told her that I was far too old for pigtails. Yeah, and now, seven years later, I'm sportin' 'em with pride!

One of these days I'll get some pictures of the kids snowboarding. They are strong, coordinated and so fun to watch. But they are not the only ones who rock on a snowboard. Here's Tim coming down the slopes. It's like buttah! (Note -- I've now tried like 5 times to upload the video, but Blogger is not cooperating. I'll try again tomorrow.)

In other news, the 10 mile run happened yesterday -- hooray! I find it goes something like this:
Mile 1 -- Yuck. Why do I do this?
Miles 2 - 3 -- I guess this is ok.
Miles 4 - 8 -- This is fun -- difficult fun, but fun!
Mile 9 -- It's almost over, right?
Mile 10 -- Why do I do this?
Then about an hour later, once I'm cooled down and showered and having a well-deserved post run meal, I feel on top of the world. And somehow, understanding the process helps to keep me coming back for more.

Almost-Weekend Update

I found this image on fitfiend.com and had to share it! My boxing gloves are red, but I'm seriously coveting those pink ones...

One of the downsides of boxing camp is that because I get up at 4:45 on boxing days, on days like today when I could sleep in, I can't! This astonishes me, as I do not consider myself a morning person.

It's the weekend, and this weekend does NOT include a gymnastics meet, which is a welcome break. So we're heading to Tahoe tomorrow for snowboarding (the snow should be fabulous!) and Sunday we're just having a day of ease. Well, my day of ease will include a 10 mile run, which might not sound like ease to some, but it's what I like to do.

I'm working on an email newsletter -- something I've wanted to do for quite a while but never got around to finding the time to work on. Once it's done, I'll try to post it here, but if I can't, and you want me to include you on the distribution list, just get your email address to me, and I'll be sure to send you a copy.

On today's agenda: grocery shopping before the kids wake up, get kids to school, train 4 clients (hooray!), pick kids up from school, meet with prospective client, help with volcano project, watch Survivor Micronesia (on Tivo), get ready for snowboarding.

Time to make my grocery list. Have a fabulous day, friends!

Boxing camp update and exciting news

This week started month two of boxing camp. I am no longer considered a novice boxer, and accordingly the camp is getting tougher, which means the combinations are move complicated and the conditioning is more intense. I got a nice compliment from one of the 30-something men in camp today. "Your arms are so cut! Did you get that just from boxing?" I told him I do some other stuff, but thanked him profusely.

The exciting news is that I get to take part in a private cooking and kettlebell class taught by Tracy Reifkind and Fawn Friday! It's happening next Saturday and I am beyond excited. I'm sure I will have lots of great video and pictures and information to share!

And finally, I'd like to take a moment to share some video of my oldest son. He's a level 8 gymnast, completely amazing, and a wonderful person to boot. Can you tell I'm a proud mama?

Ready to go!

Taking 2 weeks off from writing was a very good thing. It gave me time to get caught up on some projects at home that it's just so easy to shove aside. You know, the piles of paper, time for planning, stuff like that.

I did spend a little time on the weblog, mostly uploading new pictures to Flickr. If you decide to check them out, you can see some of my "before" pics. I'm not morbidly obese or anything, but it's hard to believe that those pictures are of a younger me. Just goes to show you that time moving on is not necessarily a bad thing -- it just depends on what you choose to DO with that time, I guess.

On the workout front, I finished my first month of boxing camp and signed up for four more months. It's a workout, for sure, but I think of it as morning playtime, which makes it a whole lot easier to get up for. And the benefits of boxing camp came into play today as Tim and I did the Crossfit Filthy Fifty. This brutal workout consists of 10 exercises, 50 reps of each exercise. Today was the first time I've done it with strict form, finishing all 50 reps, then moving on to the next exercise. (In the past I'd bounce from exercise to exercise, still completing all the reps, but doing it my way.) The first exercise is box jumps --- well, here are the exercises:

box jumps
jumping pullups
kettlebell swings
hanging knees to elbows
lunge walks
thrusters
back extensions
wall ball
burpees
double unders

In the past, I'd substituted regular jump rope for the double unders. But today? Fifty double unders, baby! And the great thing was that the jumping rope felt like rest. (Maybe that's because it came right after burpees, which suck.) Total time was 37 minutes, which I hope to beat the next time I revisit this workout.

Today was the Davis Half Marathon, but with the storms of yesterday, and Austin's gymnastics meet in San Mateo last night (we didn't get home till after midnight), I decided to prevent myself from any possibility of actually running in that race. So yesterday I did a 13.1 mile training run. Looks like my first of my half dozen half's will be in March in Sacramento.

That's it from me. Time to return to Superbowl viewing.