12 Things I Learned in 2012

1. Double spin classes are the best way to spend a morning. Double Tripp, Double Carolyn - two classes are twice as nice. I know spinning isn't considered a substitute for a run, but I think that double spin helps stamina just as well as a long run.

2. I love seltzer and Alka-Seltzer. Seltzer water is the best thing to happen to water since the U.S. Public Health Service started regulating drinking quality in 1914. Seltzer was actually invented in 1767, but who knows if it was safe to drink. Alka-Seltzer might be God's gift to drunk girls because I have yet to meet a hangover that can withstand four Alka-Seltzer tablets and a light nap underneath my desk.

3. It's possible to PR the marathon while running a 50K. Yeah, I did it. I'll be returning to the Caumsett 50K in 2013 as part of my training for a 50 mile race. Yes, I said 50 miles.

4. It's possible to run a marathon after being up partying for two straight days. I don't recommend it.

Only added about a half hour to my worst time.
And I stopped to get a bagel.

5. Compression calve sleeves help prevent cankles. I suffer from third spacing practically every time I fly. This means fluid gathers in places it shouldn't and my legs and feet swell until they resemble hams and vienna sausages. I wear my compression calve sleeves on (almost) every flight and I never have a problem anymore. I also wear them to bed if my legs hurt and I find they help me sleep.

6. You can have a boss that you genuinely like as a superior and as as person. I transitioned roles in August and my new manager is awesome. I love working with her and I love spending time with her when we're in the same city. My four previous years in the work world did not lead me to believe that bosses like her exist (excluding Viviana, but that was over the summer for six weeks and I'm not sure that counts.)

7. Yves and Coco opened their own studio. MC Dance & Fitness, located in Great Neck, offers kickboxing, Zumba, dance, and that crazy Early Birds workout. If I lived on Long Island fulltime, I'd quit supplement my gym membership and go there EVERY DAY.

8. If you ever wake up in someone's apartment and you see a business card on the table that looks like yours, but isn't yours, RUN! Call me naive, but after working in elementary schools for three years, I didn't really ever think about the pros and cons of an office relationship. They're awful and don't end well.

On a related note,

9. I can cry when I haven't been drinking. I hadn't cried sober in years and then I got dumped on June 1. Blew my mind. Part of me feels better knowing that I am not completely heartless. The other part of me wants to kill these emotions with 409 and lye.

10. Electronic dance music is awesome. I went to Governors Ball and saw Duck Sauce. Enough said. Governors Ball in 2013 is the same weekend as my five year college reunion. I would really like to host an EDM festival on the quad to make up for this.

Governors Ball 2012

11. The Young and the Restless is a pretty decent replacement for All My Children. No one will ever take away my love of soap operas, even if I have to start watching telenovelas. I actually enjoy Decisiones even though I don't understand most of it.

12. I like yoga. After many years of complaining about yoga, I've really gotten into it. Now if only the 50th & Broadway Equinox stopped screwing around with their yoga schedule. Jason Olson's class is now offered at 5:30 PM on Mondays at 44th & Lex. Who is with me?

Sleep Deprivation

I don't really sleep and it doesn't seem to affect me. Twenty hour days are awesome because I can do everything I want to do - or so I thought. Last night I got into bed before 11 PM but I didn't fall asleep until 2:30 AM. My parents' stupid ass new neighbors installed backyard lighting that makes it look like my bedroom window overlooks the Vegas strip. I was not pleased.

After tossing, turning, trying to read, and cursing the neighbors back to their old neighborhood, I finally fell asleep. Although I woke up before 9, I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. It's a good thing I was signed up for Carolyn Mellace's 10:15 class and not the earlier one.

I felt sluggish and achy, but Carolyn's sick playlist (think AC/DC, Aerosmith, and disco) and her Energizer Bunny energy kicked my ass into gear. It wasn't the best ride of my life, but I got a solid workout in and I'm glad I went.

I bought Robb Wolf's, author of The Paleo Solution, ebundle last night and was reading that sleep is more important than diet and exercise. Say what? That completely blows my lifestyle out of the water. Robb says that you need to sleep in a completely dark room, use blackout shades, and cover up all LED lights. I sleep with a sleep mask and I usually have a pillow blocking the time on the TV, but completely dark? I was recently complaining that the lack of natural sunlight in my apartment has made it harder for me to wake up.

Once I get back to work, I am going to try for a regular bedtime and 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night. I've never needed this much sleep before, but it's possible that I haven't tapped into my true potential because I sleep so little (and tend to go out and drink until the wee hours of the morning.)

The Class So Nice, I Took It Twice

Tripp Doherty teaches four classes on Long Island on Friday mornings - 2 at Woodbury and 2 at Roslyn. I signed up for the 8:30 AM class at Roslyn using the MYEQ app with the intent to sign up for the 9:45 AM Roslyn class in person. I get why you can only sign up for one class a day using MYEQ, but it drives me nuts. I really like double spin classes and I find it a little stressful when I know I need to get back down to the front desk to sign up for the second one. If I know I can get to the first one early, I will use MYEQ to sign up for the second class and sign up for the first one in person, but that can get iffy if you arrive and all the bikes are taken and then you have to figure out something else to do for an hour.

I love Tripp's classes, as anyone who reads this blog semi-regularly knows. He is truly inspirational. And his music is good. I feel like I get so much out of his classes because not only am I pushing myself to exercise harder than I thought possible, but the stories and advice he shares challenges my way of thinking and what I think is possible in my life.

Today I felt really special because Tripp asked what is the longest distance I have run - 34 miles - and my fellow spinners cheered. I don't think Equinox is known to be the friendliest gym, especially on Long Island, but everyone in Tripp's classes supports one another and the energy is extremely positive. Tripp then said I should run the Rock The Ridge 50 with him May 4. Tripp inspired me to run my first 50 kilometer race so it is fitting that I run my first 50 MILE race with him, so I am going to sign up. There is a $250 fundraising commitment and I hope that you will all help me reach that goal once I set up my page. I'll post about it after I register.

My friend Rose came to the second class and I am so happy that I got to see her. I met Rose in 2007 when I first started going to Bonne's classes. She's a teacher and helped me so much when I taught for the DOE providing advice and emotional support.

I might head up to Westchester in a little bit to play some paddle. I've never played before, but I am mildly decent at tennis and I took intro to squash in high school, so cross your fingers that I don't make an ass out of myself if I go.

A Lot of Pictures of My Feet

After spending all of Saturday in my pajamas inhaling pasta salad and deli meats, I prayed for divine intervention to fit into my spandex and went to the Woodbury Equinox. I loved the opportunity to go to Jonathan Carroll's Inside/Out class again. Those 3 lbs weights have my arms shaking and the glider makes my legs quiver. Speaking of quivering, I've been reading Fifty Shades of Grey for the third time and I'm back on the third book. I know I have a problem. Back to Jonathan's class - it's the micromovements that really make the difference. We did this thing where we laid on our sides, kept the lower leg bent and lifted the upper leg. The movements were so small but so killer. I could barely cross my legs after to stretch.

I conveniently sneaked out of Jonathan's class at 9:45 AM for a bathroom break and signed up for Carolyn Mellace's 10:15 AM spin class. The class was full for online sign up and I really wanted to go. After finishing Jonathan's class, I grabbed my spin shoes and headed upstairs.

Equinox redid the Woodbury location a few years ago and my only complaint is the studio cycling room is where the bathroom used to be. I chug water and I think my Ritalin makes me always have to pee and it's super annoying not to be able to quickly run out of class. I was thinking about this during class, which is the reason I share this here. I don't think anyone actually reads this blog, but if you do and you go to the Woodbury location, do you want to start a petition to get that Pilates room turned into a bathroom?

Carolyn's classes are awesome. Eclectic array of music. Great energy. She powers right on through the workout with you. We did A LOT of hills and my legs can definitely feel it. I also like that Carolyn motivates everyone to work hard and really sweat. I don't look pretty when I work out and I don't think others should either.

It's awesome when your face matches your shirt after spin class.

I prefer to shower at Equinox than my own home because the towels are warm and fluffy, the shower pressure is awesome, and each shower is stocked with Kiehl's. This is why I can never quit for another gym. Flywheel's showers were gross the other day even if they had Bliss Lemon Sage products in them. Oh, and there were only two showers! I don't even want to imagine what showers look like at Crossfits. No matter where I shower, I prefer to air dry. I spend a lot of time chilling in my towel. Sometimes I wonder if this bothers my colleagues when we room together for conferences.

Just sitting in a towel on Facebook in the locker room.

After the gym I went to get a manicure and pedicure.

Does this gold polish make it look like I have a toe fungus?
Be honest.

After Angel Tips, I fought for a parking spot at the Americana and went to lululemon to buy my sister a present. Mission successful. I also saw Tripp Doherty's lululemon ambassador poster on the wall, which is neat.

Tripp Doherty

This is a picture of me after the Christmas party I went to last weekend. Yes, I am wearing cowboy boots. Yes, I am wearing sunglasses. Yes, it's 2 AM.

Happy Hangover

Today I woke up with a candy cane stuck to my foot. To say it's been a rough day is an understatement.

I showed up to work looking like a lumberjack.

Yes, I voluntarily wore that.

I found an empty egg carton on my kitchen table and this in my refrigerator.

Drunk cooking is extremely dangerous. I'm really not okay  with the fact that this happened.

And I sent this text message.

As almost everyone knows, the best way to kick a hangover is to exercise. I left the office for a lunchtime session at Flywheel with my friend Anna and her sister Margot. I've missed Anna very much since she moved and I was so happy to see her! I was also a little afraid I'd throw up on her.

Margot, Anna, and me after class.
This photo is horribly out of focus and we all look spectacular, I know.

I've been to Flywheel once before. Some people are addicted to it. I can't really find a reason to justify not going to Equinox to spin, but it's a nice place if you're looking just to cycle and go to barre classes. We went to Flywheel Flatiron but there's locations on the Upper East Side and Upper West Side as well.

We went to Jesse Alexander's class. He had a sick playlist and great energy. Considering my near death state when I arrived, it's a testament to his greatness that I not only lasted the entire class, but I brought at least my A- game. My only complaint is that I can never figure out how to set up the Flywheel bike. Equinox uses Schwinn and I know my numbers there. Unfortunately the helpful lady set my seat too high for me and I ended up being sodomized by the damn bike seat every time we got out of the saddle.

I love that Flywheel has an arms portion for about 5 minutes. The bars only equal 6 lbs but by the end my arms were shaking. Hey Equinox, can we get that in our spin classes too?

I'm looking forward to peacing out to Long Island tonight and laying low for a Siberian Soul Reboot. While I feel a thousand times better than I did before Flywheel, my body still hates me.

Running in December

The alarm went off for a run this morning, but I decided spending another 2.5 hours in my bed sounded like a much better idea. I'm addicted to my baby blankets and don't like to leave them. In lieu of a run today, I give you a collection of photos I've taken on runs this month.

The beginning of December was unseasonably warm - just the way I like it. I had to interview folks during the amazing day we called Monday, December 3, but I was able to get a run in on Tuesday, December 4. Then it became freezing and unhappy.

Don't taunt me because I am fat and slow.

By the end of that week it was cold out. I bailed on the gym multiple times and decided I needed a run to get over my residual fat kid and actual alcohol hangover. My Matty M leggings kept on sliding down my ass and I forgot my headphones on my desk at work. fml. I also couldn't figure out if the running path was completely closed after the 80s or if there was another way to access it so I found myself running back and forth from 79th to the hill after the dog park.

I went for a run the last night I was in Houston last week after gorging myself on buffalo chicken rolls, spinach and artichoke dip, Cosmopolitans (it's damn near impossible to get drunk if your stomach is that filled with food), salmon with asparagus, shrimp parmigiana, and enough bread to feed those folks at the Sermon on the Mount. I'm lucky I didn't throw up in the street.

 

My Garmin wasn't working so I used MapMyRun instead. It says that I ran 4.24 miles. It's a pretty good app but I don't like that it talks to me. It's also not a Garmin so I'm not going to like it just because.

I have trouble following directions while on the move, so I took off in the general direction I saw on the map and hoped for the best. I always ask the concierge where he or she recommends running. They will frequently have a map on hand or will draw you one if they don't.

I found myself in the community of River Oaks and enjoyed a lovely display of Christmas lights.

 I love Christmas lights because I love everything that lights up, even if it's not concert stage or a robot.

Although I ran to one of the most affluent neighborhoods in America, Houston's lack of zoning laws meant I got to run through an industrial park on the way back to the hotel. I'll admit I was a little scared, especially since I hadn't told my colleagues I had left for a run. Oops.

I survived and made it back safely. I was pretty thrilled to run in perfect weather at 10 o'clock at night. Houston had been having a cold spell, but it was in the 50s on that evening. The hotel also provided delicious citrus water in the lobby. I guzzled about a gallon before heading back to my room. 

The BoobyPack

So we all know I am mildly obsessed with Miles Fisher (what can I say, I have a thing for Patrick Bateman and The Talking Heads) and the other day I saw his post on Facebook about the Boobypack. It is a fannypack for your boobs!

GENIUS
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Mind officially blown.

This neon day-glo top has a built in purse for your phone, credit cards, and cash. Who wouldn't want to wear it? Originally intended for electronic dance music concerts/festivals/fields of debauchery, creator Christina Conrad says it's also perfect for working out.

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This is so In Shape Out of Mind, I'm baffled that I didn't think of it myself.

The Boobypack is now on Kickstarter. PLEASE go over to Kickstarter and back the Boobypack. Three colors of awesomeness and imagine what could come from this company in a few months? Can we say glow in the dark?

I think this is the one that I want.
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Houston

My team flew to Houston today for essentially a multi-day meeting. I'm somewhat under the impression that we could have accomplished the same outcomes via video conference, but it's fun to see everyone and I got paid to sleep on a plane.

We're at the Renaissance Houston Greenway Plaza Hotel conveniently located mere steps away from the Houston office. It's a pretty nice set up and it has a gym.

the gym at the hotel

Chunkie McChunkster inhaled 10 ingredient fried rice and crab rangoon last night even though she already had dinner... twice. In an effort to fit into my jeans, I tried to keep myself in check today. Target meal replacement shake in the AM (they're knockoffs of Slim-Fast and taste so much better), a pear, a grande skinny dirty chai latte from Starbucks, and then 2 shrimp tostadas slathered in cheesy and guacamole goodness with a side of rice at 100% Taquito. I mean, I tried, but when everyone is going to 100% Taquito, I have trouble asking for a salad.

After taking pictures of myself in my room, I made myself go to the gym. Somehow, I got my own room even though I am just a manager and single rooms are usually reserved for managing directors and above. I do not know how this snafu came about, but I am not complaining... except when I remembered I get scared  staying in hotel rooms alone and compulsively check the bathtub because I read and watched The Shining.

I did 30 minutes on the treadmill alternating the speed and incline. Starting with a 6.5 incline and 8.7 might not have been the best idea because after 1/2 a mile, I thought I was having that heart attack my psychiatrist is always warning me about. I did a little shoulder and bicep work before calling it a night and returning to my room. Aveda products in the shower but I can't find the bathrobe.

the gym is FILLED with reflective surfaces!

I have a lot of posts I could write this week and I am relying on y'all to vote for one in the comments section below. If you don't vote, I'm not posting, and I'm taking my coworker out for margaritas instead and not telling you about it.

You options are:

1. Why I am a proud owner of new hockey skates

2. The time I finally got to go stand up paddleboarding

3. The Yonkers Marathon

4. The Staten Island Half Marathon

Weight Loss Wednesday 11.28.12

This week should be renamed Weight Gain Wednesday. My fancy scale told me I weight 147.8 lbs this morning and had 28% body fat. I'm not sure how much of that has to do with Thanksgiving or the dinner I had at Yuka last night. About once a week my Life Wife and I go out for a dinner of salmon sashimi, miso or shiitake soup, and chicken fried rice. Super sodium and carb overload.

As you can tell from my face in the pictures below, I was not happy with this information.

147.8 lbs
28% body fat

Last night I had a lot of trouble falling asleep. I was really tired for the second half of the day, but got a second wind after I ate dinner. I tossed and turned for a while and realized that my legs were bothering me. My legs and feet have been a bit swollen from standing at my desk. That plus spin class made me feel really achy and so I put on my compression calve sleeves. It made a huge difference and I woke up feeling much better this morning. The girl who sits in the desk behind me said the people at her old job started to use standing desks and had the same swelling and pain, but that it was only temporary. I think I am going to ask for some more compression sleeves for Christmas so I can start wearing them to work. I think the black bair would look cute peeping out of boots.

This is a horribly unflattering picture of me, but in case you ever wondered what I look like in my work clothes.

Early Resolutions

Has anyone else noticed more people in the gym? I must not have been the only person who had a revelation that they needed to get their butt in gear before the holidays and not wait for New Years Resolutions. Speaking of butts - I caught sight of mine in the gym locker room mirror last night (fiiiine, I was checking myself out) and I thought, "My! Isn't that an attractive rear end?" It hasn't looked this good in a while, so I should keep up the good work.

I get super unhappy when the gym suddenly fills up in January. I promise to be nicer to people in 2013 as they invade my space to achieve their personal goals. I just hope the lazy ones give up quickly and return to their couches.

God bless Allie who writes Hyperbole and Half.
I don't know how she works with Paint and doesn't want to kill herself.

Last night I went to Jason's Powerflow Yoga class and I loved it as usual. We listened to some jazz music and worked on poses that should help build us up to crow pose. I'm still working on my warrior 1. I really like how Jason calls out the details because I want to learn how to practice yoga properly. I like flow but sometimes it feels rushed and I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing. At one point we did something that looked like an old-school push up with one leg over our shoulder. Or at least some people did that. I managed the leg part.

This morning I got up at 6 and made it to 6:30 AM SpinDurance with Harlan Matusow. It was a great way to start the day, but unfortunately it made my commute a pain in the ass. I didn't bring my work clothes with me because I don't like having to drag around dirty workout clothes and heavy spin shoes all day. The weather was also supposed to turn crappy, which it did, and I wanted to figure out what would be the best outfit for the weather. Everything was great until I left my apartment at 8:15 and didn't get to work until 9:20 because of packed buses and delayed subways. Note to self - inclement weather means everyone is taking public transportation. I like working out in the morning, but I'm going to have to accept that I won't be at work until 9:30 when I do.

Inside/Out

I made it to a workout class Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I am on a roll (and trying to get rid of the one around my midsection)!

On Saturday I went to Tina Conway's Yoga Flow class. I finally was able to get my feet flat on the floor for downward dog. I was giddy with excitement, no joke.

I noticed that Raj Shtrom had a sub for her classes on Sunday and that Jonathan Carroll was teaching something called Inside/Out. Jonathan teaches the only Pilates classes I've ever taken that haven't made me want to go to the bathroom and never come back. I was really happy to have the chance to take a class with him and even more so when he remembered me after 2 years of being a no show!

Inside/Out was like a better Barre Burn, which, for those not in the know, is like a knock off (but superior?) version of Barre Method. We did so many leg lifts and demi plies I'm lucky my legs even move. There were so many women in the class that there was no chance to use the barres even if Jonathan had wanted us to, so instead we used flexi-bars. Flexi-bars are much difficult to use to keep steady than weighted body bars because the bend. I liked that it felt like I was paying special attention to the smaller muscles in my legs, back, and arms that I might ignore when doing other exercises.

We used very light weights for bicep, triceps, and shoulder work. After the lifting I did yesterday, I could really feel the 3 lbs weights. It sounds so incredibly light, but the small, slow movements add up.

I'm not the biggest fan of abdominal work but Jonathan made it almost painless. I think the best sign of a good workout class is when you find that an hour has flown by and you haven't looked at the clock. If Jonathan can get me to work my obliques without staring as the seconds count down, you know he's doing something right.

Inside/Out is offered at many Equinoxes but to have Jonathan, you'll need to visit the Long Island locations.

Here are some lululemon pieces that are good for classes like Barre Burn and Inside/Out. All of the women at Equinox seem to be in lululemon. I calculated that one lady's outfit, plus her lululemon bag was almost as much as my rent (okay more than half my rent but not as high as three-quarters.)

Back Burner Tank

Barre Pulse Pant

 I love these socks because they are so true. That being said, I go barefoot. If I were going to wear anything, I'd break out my old ballet slippers.

The Method Sock

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.

Weight Loss Wednesday 11.21.12

I dragged my exceptionally hungover ass out of bed today to take these pictures.

144.4 lbs
27.5% body fat

I already requested today off as vacation, hence the late night drinking the evening before. Not sure how much of my weight loss has to do with dehydration.

I went for a manicure and a pedicure, ate 16 Handles, watched tv, and fought the massive crowds to get home. Thankfully I left when I did because the LIRR was shut down. I ate two dinners - chicken McNuggets and fries and a shake on the train followed by butternut squash soup and fried chicken dumplings. So bloated. Think I am dying.

It's a Filing Cabinet, Not a Microwave

I spent the night at my parents' house last night because I went to Cardinal McClosky's Community Services' 10th Annual Take the Stage talent show in Eastchester followed by a wake in Bay Ridge yesterday. I was exhausted and way too tired to be driving on the BQE. Made it home in one piece and went to bed soon after. I didn't head into the office right away because MegaMove took place over the weekend. I knew I had been temporarily assigned to the world's smallest desk.

What is this? A desk for ants?
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I got up and ate breakfast. I bamboozled my dad into buying me groceries on Saturday evening and picked out some Greek yogurt, granola, and honey.

I'm not too impressed with Greek Gods Greek yogurt. It's not nearly as thick as Fage and I read that they add thickeners to it instead of just straining it. I bought the non-fat version and it pales in comparison to the non-fat Fage. 

The 365 blueberry almond granola was pretty good. I'm not that big of a granola fan but it seemed like a good purchase. My dad keeps snacking on it so I guess he likes it.

The raspberry honey is delicious. It has just a hint of fruit flavor.

So my morning starts off pretty good. I'm fed. There's an entire closet of clean clothes to wear. I heat up the hot rollers and have a sick hair day. This all goes to hell when I almost miss my train and on the way to almost missing the train realize that I forgot my coat in the hallway closet. I'm super excited to leave the office for yoga tonight. Super. Excited.

To add insult to injury, I finally get to work, cold, pissed off, and baffled why people cannot control their children to find that my mini desk cannot fit me and the tiny ass filing cabinet underneath it. My response is to pull the filing cabinet out and kick it over. (My coworkers must think I am nuts.) But this is when I had my moment of genius. The filing cabinet on top of the desk is the perfect height for a stand up desk. My dream has come true.

Everyone keeps asking if it's a microwave.

Weight Loss Wednesday 11.14.12

So apparently I've figured out how to blog drunk. Don't worry, I haven't become obsessed with death - I've just remembered how much I like the Flaming Lips. You need to listen to Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. My favorite songs are Are You A Hypnotist?? and Do You Realize?? which are where the lyrics in last night's post are from.

I wrote the post below yesterday because it was Wednesday but then I got drunk and forgot to post it and instead creeped everyone out and then they thought I was depressed. Oops.

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Weight Loss Wednesday is back. Here's to accountability, real-life changes, and reaching goals. By goals, I mean fitting in my skinny jeans without the help of a shoe horn. Funny story - a friend of mine recently found a house guest in her apartment using a wooden spoon from the kitchen to put on his shoes. She took it better than I would have.

Today I hopped on the scale and found out that I weight 146 lbs. Eek? I think this is the heaviest I have ever weighed but I know I've been close to this before. My body fat is 27.9%. That made me a little nauseous.

Can anyone explain to me when to use the word nauseous and when to use nauseated? This is one of the bigger conundrums of the week.

I may live to regret these photos, but I think posting these unflattering pics will motivate me to go to the gym and make good eating choices.

November 14, 2012
146 lbs
27.9% body fat

I'm not sucking in or doing anything else to make myself look slimmer than I am. I tried to stand up straight but the camera angle makes it seem like I'm standing on an incline.

In an effort to get active every day, I've been putting my workouts on my work calendar. Last night we had an 8 PM kickball game so two of my teammates went to the Riverside Park track for a quick workout. The track was technically closed because of the hurricane so we had to cut our run a little short. After a half mile warm up, we ran a fast mile, and then jogged a lap, then sprinted half a mile before security shut us down. The mile ended up taking 6 minutes 50 something seconds. This was a little slower than I wanted because the real workout was supposed to be this:

warm up
1 mile at 10 seconds faster than 5K pace
jog 1 lap
1 mile at 10 seconds faster than 5K pace
jog 1 lap
1 mile at 10 seconds faster than 5K pace
jog 1 lap
cool down

My best 5K pace is 6 minutes 58 seconds so I should have run the mile in 6 minutes 48 seconds. Next time we'll get to the track earlier and really bang this out.

Jason Olson is Awesome

Recently I decided my new thing would be yoga. I came to this decision because I have felt completely out of shape and like I am starting from the ground and building up my fitness level. Even at my most in shape, I've never been flexible and my upper body wasn't as strong as my lower body. I had visible vanity muscles on my arms, but I found downward dog painful and my strength was not balanced. I figured, that if I were starting from the beginning, I should build the foundation I need to be strong and healthy. And I want to be able to stand on my head.

I've been  to nine yoga classes with 7 different instructors in the past four weeks (including this week), with differing experiences. Last night I went to Powerflow Yoga with Jason Olson and I loved it. I loved him. I haven't loved a new workout instructor like this since I first took a class with Yves. CRAZY I know.

Yes, I keep an excel spreadsheet of my workouts. I also have pivot tables.

I was able to leave work earlier than I expected and arrived at 50th and Broadway with enough time to run on the treadmill. I did 15 minutes (okay 14 m 45 s) of sprinting/power walking before yoga class. Then I spent the next 40 minutes sweaty profusely all over my mat and it was gross. I'm glad I got some cardio in and was able to stretch afterwards, but it made class rather unpleasant. 

Does anyone run or spin right before yoga? How do you handle the sweating? 

(I'm trying to get some commenting going on so if you'd like to make me happy, please respond using the comment box below. I'd be thrilled to get comments.)

Right away I could tell that Jason's class would be a little different. Maybe because he reminds me of my boss's boss's boss? Or when he said this class is called Powerflow and we work throughout it? Or maybe it was when I didn't feel like a complete buffoon while everyone else looked like a graceful swan. Regardless, I felt totally comfortable.

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Yay for Facebook, where all of our stalkerish dreams can come true!

There were a few things I particularly liked about Jason's class. I struggle with warrior 1 because I can't seem to get my hip centered to the front. Run 15 miles without training? Sure! Keep my hips aligned? Absolutely not! To help overcome this, Jason had us transition from lunge to straight-legged warrior 1. Then we used one hand to shift our leading leg's hip back. Then we lunged forward, lowered our other hand, and adjusted our other hip. I was much more aware of my body than when I'm flowing all about, trying to look like the lady standing next to me.

I also appreciated the attention to detail. I've been to a bunch of yoga classes over the years but I'm not sure I ever internalized the basics. I want to learn to do each posture correctly. I'm also trying to be aware of my own level rather than pushing towards the more difficult version, which strangely enough is often easier for me.

Tangent - when I was younger I used to ride horses. For the life of me, I could not perform a simple lead change, but the flying change was my jam. My instructor always praised my flying change and eventually gave up on asking me to attempt the simple change, because it was less advanced anyway. Then my parents (smartly!) refused to buy me a horse and that was then end of that.

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I'm also a fan of Jason's playlist choices. There was some Led Zepplin and jazz, among other genres. I don't really remember the exact music because I was too busy enjoying myself - in yoga. Blew my mind too.

Flagified

I spent my break designing this today. The Reebok CrossFit Nano 2.0 is a mighty fine looking shoe on its own, but after I flagified it, I am obsessed.

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Unfortunately, I have no reason to purchase them. I have 4 pairs of trail running sneakers, 3 pairs of road sneakers I actually use, 1 pair that I do not, a pair of Nike Frees that I hate, a pair of Vibram Five Fingers, two pairs of crosstrainers, and tennis sneakers. This list does not include any of my "fashion sneakers." I also do not do CrossFit.

If you'd like to spend $149 on me, I am a size 8.5.

Strategic Planning

This weekend I made it back to my parents' house. The lack of electricity deterred me from returning sooner but finally their reenactment of Little House on the Prairie ended (really LIPA, nine days without electricity?) and I was able to come get my winter coat. If I thought I had in bad in Manhattan without a winter coat, my parents had it so much worse without heat.

My parents' house.

Their driveway.

I like to go home for many reasons. I like my parents. They are interesting people and they feed me. It is also less expensive to purchase household items and groceries on Long Island. It's extremely inexpensive if your parents frequently purchase those things for you and then slip you extra cash. When I go home I avoid binge drinking, I eat real food, I go to the gym, and I avoid spending money. Going home is great. And my cats are there.

And there's enough room to make a laundry color wheel in my parents' laundry room.

On Saturday I slept in and then ran errands. The cable and internet is still down at my parents' so I felt motivated to get things done. And I was trying to keep my mind off smoking. Today is DAY SEVEN. I headed to the Roslyn Equinox for a solo workout around 6 PM. When I work out by myself, I prefer to go during less packed hours so I can choose my equipment freely and not fight for space.

I did 20 minutes on the CrossRamp. I know I've written about this machine before, but I just love it more than any other cardio machine. It's like an elliptical but better.

Because it's totally normal to photograph yourself like this.

I'll be honest - I'm a little self-conscious of my flabby arms right now, but I hate wearing sleeves to the gym. This photo captured how unshapely they've gotten. I do feel stronger from the yoga though. My embarrassment motivated me to do an arm workout:

Chest press with 15 lbs weights (15 reps)

Shoulder press with 15 lbs weights (15 reps)

Skull crusher with one 15 lbs weight (10 reps, rest between 5)

Tricep kickbacks with 7.5 lbs weights (15)

2 sets

I had perused the August 2012 issue of Oxygen and found the workout below earlier in the day. It seemed like a challenging quick workout I could do on my own and it said it was Army-inspired, which I found fitting for Veteran's Day weekend. It kicked my ass.

20 crunches

20 prisoner squats

20 staggered-hand push-ups (left hand forward)

20 sit-ups

20 prisoner lunges

20 staggered-hand push-ups (right hand forward)
30-60 second plank

I did forty prisoner lunges so I'd have twenty for each leg and a 60 second plank. And then I prayed for mercy. Those staggered-hand push-ups are so freaking hard! I've decided that I will do this workout on cardio days at least once a week. I am going to be able to do one set no problem by New Years.

Today I went to Raj Shtrom's vinyasa flow yoga class at the Equinox in Great Neck. They've redone the bathrooms and showers since the last time I was there and it looks lovely.

Raj's class beats me normally, but after lifting last night, my arms could barely support my weight. I am the lamest yoga practicer in the world, but I am going to stick with it. I want to make sure that I am in shape and that my strength is balanced. I feel like I started back at round zero and that I shouldn't make the same mistakes I've made in the past as I return to working out and better eating.

My gym requires valet parking on Sundays.

I'm proud of myself for not smoking cigarettes for an entire week, but I'm a little worried about keeping it up when I go out. I went out for drinks three times last week and didn't have a cigarette (although I did go to a cigar bar one night.) However, I do get text messages like this one:

Do I need to give up benders? Does this mean I'm growing up? Can I have a six-pack if I give up beer?

Enough of these deep philosophical questions and on to the important things.

Today is Veteran's Day, one of the most important days of the years. I love veterans and have the utmost respect for servicemen and women. I especially love Marines. They're pretty sexy. Take the time today and tomorrow (and every day for that matter!) to thank the men and women who risk their lives to make sure that you and I are safe and free. Thank you veterans! God bless you!