Throwback Thursday: LifeTime Fitness Visit

Throwback to the time Christine brought me to Lifetime Fitness as her guest.

I met Christine in Yves Maco's kickboxing class at Equinox in the fall of 2010. She was one of the cool kids in the front of the class. I made it my goal to be one of the cool kids in the front of the class. Soon we were bitching about teaching in the locker room, sharing hair-ties, and kicking synchronized ass front and center. Life was good.

Then Yves left Equinox, I moved back to Manhattan, and Tuesday and Thursday afternoons have never been the same.

Last Day of Vacation

Today is my last day of freedom before returning to work. Thankfully I like my job, so I'm not overly upset, but I have tried to jam as much stuff into today as possible.

Welcome to Operation Reunion Weekend

I went to MC Dance & Fitness for Kick Kamp with Yves this morning. It was great to spend some time with him and Coco. I felt a thousand times better today than the last time I went and my knee didn't really bother me at all. We ran laps in between kickboxing segments and dear lord was that hard. Some of the ladies cut the corners on the laps and I always feel like a tool making sure I hit the truck and then the street sign, but then I tell myself that I'm getting the better workout. It reminds me of sleep-away camp when some of the girls in the older bunks would half-ass boxing class and somehow I was made to feel stupid for my energy and their laziness. Anyway, class was amazing as usual and I loved it.

Everyone takes selfies before class.
I'm loving these Champion bermuda shorts FYI.

I skidaddled on home to call my shrink from the backyard. I kind of prefer our phone sessions because they allow me to chain smoke and avoid eye contact. Nothing new to report on that front. I still don't know how to make friends and the entire world revolves around me.

I housed a large Dunkin ice coffee while on the phone and then drove to Beach Bum Tanning. I don't advise that you consume 32 oz of caffeine and then hop in a tanning bed because I had to pee the entire time and it was not fun. I also think the girls that work there think something is wrong with me because I used their bathroom when I arrived and as I was leaving 16 minutes later.

Behold the Kiwi King!

My usual beds, the P90 and the KBL America, were in use so I used the Kiwi King and I am a big fan. The top is much closer to your face than the other beds but who the hell cares - it reminds me of the old fashioned kind we used in Wallingford. You can adjust the face lamps, which is awesome because I turned them down with 5 minutes to go. My face is a little red on my cheeks and nose to mimic a real tan. The tell-tale fake and bake is a uniform tan across your face so I make an effort to redden up a bit.

Skin brown, teeth white, clothing glowing.

I took a quick shower, dropped by Angel Tips for some waxing, and then headed to Morel Hair Design for a haircut with Jorge. My hair looks great as usual.

Now I'm at Westbury Chrysler waiting for Petunia's oil change and for her AC to be fixed. The air coming out of the vents is even hotter than it is outside and now my blowout is all wind strewn from having to drive down here with the windows open. FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS.

I took this lovely photo of myself using Photobooth. Now I am getting funny looks.

Westbury Chrysler service station has free wireless but it blocks Facebook and PicMonkey. Clearly the two things I wanted.

Zumba with Coco

This morning I headed back over to MC Dance Fitness for Zumba with Coco. I love Coco, I love her classes, and I love her style. I was experiencing some serious envy over her DC Shoes today. I wasn't able to find the exact pair on the DC Shoes website, but I am a fan of most of their high top shoes.

I wore a pair of Under Armour black pants, my neon yellow C9 for Champion sports bra, and a hot pink tank top I found in the closet in the guest bedroom. My green K-Swiss tubes and a hunting camouflage pullover completed my own Zumba look. I prefer Coco's.

quick pic in the only full-length mirror left in my parents' house

I haven't gotten any better at Zumba but I still like it and it's a great workout. You burn an average of 750 calories per class and now Zumba is running the Great Calorie Drive to help combat world hunger. When you check in at a Zumba class, $0.14 is donated. I know this seems like a low amount, but with all the crazed Zumba fans out there, I don't doubt they will reach the $1 million mark.

Learn more about this Great Calorie Drive and get the app.

check in using the Zumba app

Just an awkward group shot of my fellow Zumba classmates and me before we got our dance on.

Kickboxing/Boxing Bootcamp Master Class

Otherwise known as the best 90 minutes of the entire weekend.

On Sunday I went to MC Dance & Fitness for a kickboxing/boxing boot camp master class with Theresa Alini. I had never heard of her (not like that means anything), but if Yves says she good enough to teach a kickboxing master class, she is.

Theresa Alini

From the MC Dance & Fitness invitation:

Theresa Alini has been in the fitness industry since 1989. Her group fitness classes range from Pilates, vbarre, boot camp, strength training, and cardio kickboxing. Her favorite class to teach has been and always will be kickboxing with equipment. As a master trainer for ISCA, her experience has brought her through the United States certifying instructors, trainers and fitness professionals. Standing only at 4 feet 10 inches, her strong voice and big personality makes her a giant in the field. 

The class was freaking awesome. We started off with about 20 minutes of a regular kickboxing warm up. Very Yves-like routine, which you know means "the way it is supposed to be" in my book. We jumped, we punched, we kicked, and then my abs woke up from seven months of slumber.

Then we put on boxing gloves and did a similar routine so that we could feel the resistance. I own my a pretty pair of white boxing gloves, but of course I didn't know that we would need them (Yves, please include a packing list in the invite!) so I had to borrow a pair. A fun fact about me is that I don't like to wear things on my hands because I find it really uncomfortable and distracting. I also prefer gloves to mittens, and boxing gloves are a misnomer.

that's me in the front row, closest to the camera

Then we moved on to sprints, agility work, and focus mitt drills. I don't like to wait in line so I kept sprinting around the room until it was my term to work with Theresa and Yves.

the studio

We used the fitness squares pictured in the top photo. These things are really neat because they have a place for your feet and for your hands. I found it really helpful when practicing my sidekicks. It's also more challenging to stand on the square and keep your balance. You can flip it over and also use it as a sliding disc. There's a patent pending and I expect to see more of these squares soon.

source: Yves Maco

For some odd reason, Yves has yet to realize that he should just film me the entire time. You can see snippets of me in the mirror. That's Jackie in the teal tank.

We finished up the class with jumping rope and stretching. I successfully jumped rope for 10 minutes and only hit myself twice.

New Year's Day 2013

Since I stayed in last night, I was up at 6:44 AM. I can't begin to tell you how great it was to watch a sunrise on New Year's Day when I hadn't been up from the night before. Boycotting New Year's Eve two years in a row have been two of the best decisions I ever made.

I was booked for bike 3 at the Woodbury Equinox to take 8:30 AM spin with Tripp. The first class was solid. There was no place I would rather have been that sweating it out in the front row, listening to Tripp share stories about my fellow spinners and learning more about Cycle for Survival. I am now fully on board for the 50 mile Rock the Ridge Endurance Challenge.

One of the things I love the most about Tripp is how he remembers the songs each person likes and plays them for that person. My song is "Starships" by Nicki Minaj, which is kind of weird because I normally do not like her music. This song just gets me so psyched to spin and I push myself past any wall my legs think they're going to slam against. I love that the breakaways build up, i.e. "Let's do this one last time, can't stop" and then bust out with, "We're higher than a motherfucker," and that throughout the song, the breakaways get closer together. I also love that I can scream motherfucker with little judgement (it's in the song!) because I swear all the time while working out.

With 30 minutes left to class, Tripp advised us to hop off our bikes to sign up for the next class if we were interested in a double. I showed off my running skills on my way to the front desk and was back on my bike in the same song.

What I look like after the 1st class. I forgot to take a post 2nd class photo.

After the first class, I switched to bike 10 and wiped it down with disinfectant wipes. If you're going to double and you have to switch bikes, chances are the cleaning crew isn't coming in so you should clean your own bike. For that matter, if classes are close together, chances are the cleaning crew didn't come in so you should clean your own bike. I also switched into a dry tank top.

The second class didn't have the same "We're all obsessed with Tripp" energy as the first, but I think it was a better class. The music was more to my liking and I warmed up and ready to rock. When Tripp played "Starships" for me during the second class, I felt like I actually brought my A game. I was a little self-conscious the first time because I wasn't attacking the song as strongly as I often do. Part of the reason is that I tend to go into my own world when the song is on - I think I look awesome and can do anything - so having Tripp call attention to me is neat but also a little daunting. I also wear these ridiculously short spandex shorts that ride up my ass and it occurred to me that people's attention had just been drawn to my massive wedgie. So that was kind of a blow to the whole "I look awesome" mindset.

I'm rocking out to "Starships" right now and all I want to do is get back on the bike. A lady in the locker room asked me about Tripp's classes this morning and said she heard he's a talker. After I told her that Tripp's talking inspired me to run 50Ks and now a 50 miler, she was all about taking his Friday class. Tripp is living proof that what you put out to the world impacts others. I don't want to equate his classes to religious experiences, but the things he says reminds me of some of the more poignant sermons I've listened to over the years. I genuinely want to be a better person when I'm in there. This Christmas, I let go off some major resentment and mended relationships with the family members I disowned. The main reason I chose to do this was because of the messages I've heard in Tripp's classes.

Sometimes I look like a crazy bag lady when I leave the gym.

I took a shower and got changed into clean workout clothes. I drove back to my parents' house to eat a quick lunch. I had leftover almond-encrusted tilapia and some dried apricots with a glass of milk. I try not to drink milk anymore but I wanted some quick calories.

I love that bumper sticker.

My sister was back from her NYE party in Westchester, so I invited her to join me at Yves and Coco's #$%@# Loco x2 class. Ninety minutes of Zumba, kickboxing, lifting, and dance. These classes are my absolute favorite.

We left a little early so I could spend some Christmas money at lululemon. I bought two Run: Back on Track tanks and wore one to class. How I lived without this top is beyond me. It is so incredibly flattering.

My sister. She told me I had to write about how cold it was in the studio when we arrived.

The workout was great. Unlike the Thanksgiving class, I hit my hinge kicks and felt like the athlete I used to be. And by some miracle, apparently I can now dance. Kind of. I think it was the top to be honest.

We had to show up early to stake out our spots.

My friend Christine called me right after I took that photo to say that she was on her way. I was so happy to see her! Christine, you better call me to play more often! I just bought 10 classes at MC Dance & Fitness, so let's plan some days when I can use them.

(If you're special, maybe I'll write you direct messages within blog posts too.)

The new top.

Even though the top is soaking wet, I think I still look pretty cute. I also went with my girly ponytail today. You can watch the video on how to create this high-intensity hairstyle here. It's basically a high pony with long bangs pulled to the side. In order to get it to stay, you'll need two bobby pins and two contour clips.

I was starving when we got home and quickly volunteered to go to the grocery store with my dad. I hadn't showered but at least I had changed into a sweatshirt and out of that sweaty top. This is me being freezing cold in the supermarket and looking nuts.

I look like a giant stuffed animal. I am okay with this.

Pre-Turkey Thanksgiving Workout

I woke up Thursday morning at 7:37 AM in Oyster Bay only to remember that the Pre-Turkey Thanksgiving Workout at Yves and Coco's studio started at 8 AM. F*** my life. I managed to get dressed in under 4 minutes, fill my water bottle, and jump in the car. As I got into the car, I remembered that it didn't have any gas. No matter. I drove to Great Neck (over ten miles) on an empty tank anyway. Now I should have only been 4 minutes late for class but I kept driving passed the studio. For anyone else looking to go to MC Dance and Fitness, make a right onto Middle Neck Road South across from the Gulf Station and follow it until it says just Middle Neck Road. Number 222 is part of a shopping strip immediately after the Shell Station. There's parking in the lot behind the building.

I rush into class over 10 minutes late, wearing a not cute outfit that didn't really match (why didn't I set out my clothes in advance?!), bloated from my chicken McNugget double dinner, and it took me a moment to remember that none of that mattered. I got to take not one, but two of Yves's classes, even if I missed the beginning of the first one, and for that I was thankful. Then I launched myself into a hinge kick and realized that I need to get my shit together. Kick Kamp was hard.

During this first class, I had a moment of clarity when I accepted that I have gotten too big and I need to fix it. I honestly felt like I had fallen from grace - I used to be the person in the front row showing off and now I was in the back (I had to be because I came in late) and the moves were challenging. All of the ladies I used to work out with were in the front and made it look so easy. I know I've been talking about getting back into fitness and clean eating for like two years now, but I finally saw how bad it has gotten. That being said, I had so much fun.

The second class was Dance Fusion and we all know how much I love Dance Fusion, mostly because I cannot dance. I switched into a dry white tank top (which made my lame outfit look a little cuter than the dull oatmeal colored tank I was wearing earlier) and proceeded to shake around the room because I can't shimmy. I think I had sweated out most of the bloat so I look less like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade float and more like my former self. All in all, it was a great way to spend my Thanksgiving morning.

Yves and Coco's studio is beautiful. I especially love the floors. A lot of places shellac their floors, which looks nice, but then causes crazy slippery surfaces after a few athletic women start sweating. These floors were beautiful medium-dark colored wood that didn't need a shiny coat to look nice. I sweated a ton and never felt like I was going to slip in my own grossness and injure myself.

 If you're on Long Island, get your butt to MC Dance & Fitness. The address is 222 Middle Neck Road in Great Neck, NY.