Too Many Fitness Enthusiasts

This morning I woke up and headed to the hotel gym and found it packed. I figured my colleagues should be in bed after partying at the CHCI event last night, but the damn overachievers beat me there. And I walked in at 6 AM.

Since no one seems to lift, I took over the weight bench.

I performed chest presses with 20 lbs and 12.5 lbs weights. I did chest flys with 12.5 lbs weights. I also did shoulder presses with the 12.5 lbs, tricep kickbacks with 7.5 lbs, and squats with 20 lbs.

Then I went for a 1.5 mile run outside near the other hotel.

Sofitel Hotel Workout

My dad and I got into DC late last night. We had a delicious midnight meal at Old Ebbitt Grill before I passed out in my comfy bed.

I didn't get up until about 9, although I woke up at 8. The SO FIT gym was said to be located on level B. I got dressed, grabbed my Oxygen magazine and my headphones, and headed on down only to discover that the gym is under construction. It's been temporarily relocated to a conference room.

Given what it is - gym equipment temporarily housed in a conference room - the space is alright.

I spent about 10 minutes warming up a 9% incline power-walking with short bursts of jogging. I did two rounds of varied squats with an 18 lbs body bar, chest presses with both 15 and 20 lbs dumbbells, and shoulder presses with 10 lbs dumbbells. I flirted with the idea of doing planks with a medicine ball before deciding I was done with my quick workout and needed to get. Y day started.

My dad and I hit up the George Bellows exhibit at the National Art Gallery and made a visit to the United States Botanic Garden, where he got lost. We're now sitting in the lobby of 675 E Street NW, waiting out the storm. A nice woman who lives here let us in, and good thing too because I saw the Starbucks umbrellas sail down the street and almost hit a car.

Look at that amazing French manicure.

Run on Day 6

I'm on a roll with my workouts and needed to fit one in today to continue my streak. My original plan to attend 7 AM yoga fell through and I needed to make the 7:54 PM train out to LI. I decided a run along the Westside Highway was better than no workout at all or having to take a later train.

view overlooking the NJ Transit train yard

My legs felt a little stiff but overall the run wasn't too bad. I wore my Nike Frees without socks (I used to do this all the time) and gave myself horrible arch blisters just like during the AHA run. Reminded me of how that night and how I got dumped the next day.

Just the Statue of Liberty helping out a homeless lady.

Super Mario Brothers comes to Chelsea Piers

So tired, hot, and sweaty but thank God the sun finally came out.

Epic fail on the Garmin tonight. I didn't have time to wait for it to find its satellites and it didn't pick up the first .75 mile and then I forgot to turn it off when I got back to the office and added at least 5 minutes to my time. Oops.

I ran closer to 6 miles.

I couldn't shower after my run but I did change back into my work clothes. Sorry fellow train passengers - I know I smell.

My colleague almost caught me taking this awkward photo.

ZUMBA!

Lashawn Jones teached ZUMBA! at thr 50th & Broadway Equinox on Wednesday nights at 7:15 PM. As much as I wanted to go to DM's to watch the Giants game, I knew that I needed to go straight to the gym instead. I didn't want to lift or do anything with kettlebells, and I didn't want to spin, so I figured that Zumba was the best choice. Great workout, lots of cardio, and abdominal work. I haven't found anything better for my abs than cardio dance classes.

I wasn't familiar with the first two songs and struggled with the moves. I'm not very coordinated and it takes me a while to get into my dance groove. Lashawn uses the legit Zumba tracks, and you can tell because Zumba is shouted out at least once a minute like a marketing team's orgasm. She had me hooked though when she played Daddy Yankee's Gasolina remix. Yes, I'm secretly into reggaeton and I know all the moves to that one.

Every time I go to a Zumba class, I decide I want Zumba clothes. I've spent the past 20 minutes perusing the Zumba website, and these are some of the items that caught my eye.

I am addicted to sneakers so of course I noticed the Z Kickz II and the Z Kickz Original. I have absolutely no reason to buy them, but I appreciate a brand that creates its own shoes. Other colors than the ones shown here are available.

Z Kickz II

Z Kickz Original

I have an obsession with Zumba cargo pants. They're like UFOs - does anyone remember these delightful pants from the late 90s?

Lashawn was wearing the Feelin It Cargo last night in black, but I prefer this teal color. I really want the Electro Cargo Pant in grey. How freaking cute are they? Again, not exactly sure why I'd need them since I don't really go to many Zumba classes.

Feelin It Cargo Pant 

Electro Cargo Pant

The Bliss V Bra Top is cute and functional. It doesn't seem particularly Zumba-y to me and I might order a few. I love this blue color.

Bliss V Bra Top

I like the color of these Escape Running Shorts, which are on sale by the way. I can't figure out if they have a built in panty (God, I hate that word) or not. I only run in shorts that I don't need to wear underwear with, however, I'd use these for the beach and hiking if they aren't lined.

Escape Running Shorts

Last but not least, no wardrobe is complete without Zumba thongs. I would love to know how many of these sell each month.

Daydream Thong

Weight Loss Wednesday 9.5.12

I'm starting a new weekly feature called Weight Loss Wednesday. Maybe it'll be easier for me to avoid Chinese food if I know that my weight is going to be posted on the internet each week.

This morning I weight 145.4 lbs. Yup, I qualify as an Athena runner. I do not make this stuff up thank you.

I'd like to lose about 15 lbs, but my real goal is to lower my body fat percentage.

More than a quarter of my body is fat. That's gross.

source

The chart above is from the American Council on Exercise. As you can see, I fall into the average category.

The charts below are based on research by Jackson & Pollock and take age into consideration.

source

I would like to be around 19% body fat. It's not like I have an exceptionally well-endowed chest that would skew my number higher. Day 5 of Super Sober September Health Month continues and Weight Loss Wednesday will hopefully keep me accountable.

One Heart, One Soul, One Hour

I had an 8 AM call to China this morning (I feel so cool being able to say that and actually told as many people as I possibly could about it), and since I was still at my parents' house, I decided to work from home for the morning instead of getting on a super early train back to Manhattan. This meant that I was able to go to Tripp Doherty's 6 AM spin class at Woodbury.

I was concerned that I might not get a bike so I stayed up until 4 AM to book it Monday morning. For those of you not in the know, you can book a bike using MYEQ 26 hours before a cycling class. Since I didn't get home until 3:15 AM, the extra 45 minutes wasn't that big of a deal.

4 AM email confirmation. I don't eff around.

I love Tripp's classes. It is impossible to attend one and not feel good for the rest of the day. Tripp is more than a cycling instructor; he is an inspiration. Tripp's the reason I started running 50Ks. I asked him one day if he thought I should sign up for the 25K or 50K trail race, and he was like, "Do the 50K. Believe in yourself." I trust him completely, so I signed up for the Greenbelt Trail 50K the next day. As we know, I've now run two 50Ks.

The title of this post is the mantra that Tripp shouts throughout class. It's so true that we all spend our days very disconnected from one another, but inside the studio cycling room walls, a group of strangers come together to create a force working towards a common goal. I've tried to find this same collective feeling in other spin classes and I haven't been able to find anything that comes close.

I find that I am able to work harder, pedal faster, and find strength I didn't think I had when I am in Tripp's classes. I turn into quite a beast, and I'm always proud of my workout. I never dial it in with him.

Tripp's an inspiration to a lot of his students. Today he told us about a lawyer who hadn't been to class in 2 years. He came up to Tripp recently and said how he had been inspired to leave his law firm and start his own because of Tripp's influence. That's pretty freaking awesome. I'm being completely honest when I say that something that sounds crazy or out of reach seems totally possible after spending time with Tripp. Your own law firm, running 34 miles... it's all in a day's work.

Tripp and me after class.

Being around Tripp makes me want to be a better person. Many times today I found myself getting annoyed or short-tempered, but I took a breath, thought about the kind of person I want to be, and was able to respond in a much more even-keeled and compassionate manner. When 26 people respond to a message that says, "Please do not respond to this message," it makes me want to shake them. Having the peace of mind to step back, and reply kindly is a big step for me.

Tripp also peppers his classes with current events, his take on the economy, and challenges you to think about what you hear and read. I hadn't given much thought to what will happen in three years when all of the people riding out the economic downturn in law school graduate. The demand for lawyers doesn't seem like it's going to escalate, and suddenly a large number of highly educated people will be unemployed and in debt. And somehow I missed that Russell Crowe attempted to kayak in Cold Spring Harbor, failed miserably, and had to be rescued by the Coast Guard.

If you have the opportunity to spin with Tripp, definitely take advantage of it. He really can change your life.

Rest, Running, & Relaxation

I didn't get home until 3:15 this morning and I wasn't even drinking. Sober September has been a success thus far. I made myself get up at 9:30, but there were no yoga classes being offered today at the Long Island Equinoxes. My body is too sore for another full body workout class.

After lounging and napping today, I went for a quick run around the block at about 6 PM. I realized I had forgotten all of my Brooks road sneakers in Manhattan so I was forced to wear a pair of Nikes that I don't care for much. The LunarGlides 2 are just too heavy and clunky. I feel like I'm wearing platforms.

I'm fully capable of sucking it up for a few miles. I listened to a mix I found on my iPhone called "I Respect You" filled with some songs that don't really show respect for anyone. Ohh, drunken playlist making. I'm sure I was pissed at someone when I made it.

I ran 4 miles. Feel pretty good about myself and this commitment to fitness. Just have to keep going for the rest of the month.*

*For the sake of full disclosure, Sober September Health Month might be ending on the 28th. The annual Cape Cod bender is that weekend and I'd like to participate.

Group Fitness Substitute Etiquette

Today I went to the Woodbury Equinox for John Kocaj's pureMUSCLE class. We were all set to begin when the spin instructor called in with a flat tire and John was asked to cover her class. Thankfully Steve Ramirez had shown up to be a student in pureMUSCLE and he graciously volunteered to teach the class instead. Steve kicked my ass in METCON3 yesterday and he kicked my ass again today. I am so sore, it hurts to laugh let alone move.

Steve incorporated a lot of yesterday's moves into today's class. He's a great instructor but I don't think this is how pureMUSCLE usually goes. Unfortunately, a few of the regulars got uppity and scowled throughout our workout. Two people left, and that's their prerogative, but really? You can't try something else for one day?

This isn't the first time I've seen bad behavior when a sub takes over a class. And I admit, I've been guilty of it myself. Yes, it sucks when you show up ready to take your regular (and maybe favorite) class, and an interloper is running the show doing something that doesn't fit the norm. I used to get so mad when I expected to spend an hour cardio kickboxing with Yves, jumping in the air, and showing off my hinge kicks, only to find some woman telling me to stand in place doing roundhouse kicks for an hour.

If this happens to you, you have some choices to make. You can either leave immediately or you have to stick it out the entire time. Do not scowl at the instructor or try to make them feel badly. Do not make knowing looks at your fellow regulars or roll your eyes at them. The substitute is not your regular instructor and you shouldn't expect him or her to be. I think it's better when the substitute owns the class and follows his or her usual style. You're going to get a really great workout (hopefully - sometimes the instructor is way out of his or her comfort zone - such as when a spin instructor is taking over a boot camp class for the first time) and it's in your best interest to dedicate yourself to the workout you are given. When a substitute tries to be something he or she is not, everyone is unhappy.

I've been wearing my Micro Tubes 100fit cross trainers a lot.
These are still available on the KSwiss website.

My shoulders are shot from yesterday and I could not do push-ups to save my life today. I had 10 lbs, 8 lbs, 5 lbs, and 3 lbs weights today and ended up having to use each set. We did pyramid bicep curls and at one point the 5 lbs weights were going to make me cry.

Day 2 of September Health Month is going well. If only I can avoid fried food, alcohol, and ice cream for the rest of the day.

Neon Yellow

Today is the first day of September and I promised myself I'd start it right by going to the gym. METCON3 kicked my ass today. There was whimpering and a lot of swearing.

The coolest thing we did today was row with our weights and our bench. We placed our heavy weights (mine were 8 lbs and I was embarrassed by my wimpy choice) on our bench, squatted over the bench, picked up the bench and performed rows with flat backs. I'm going to try to remember to work this into more workouts.

You don't need a play by play of how I begged for mercy and couldn't keep up, so I am going to focus on something I noticed - almost everyone in the room was wearing at least one piece of neon yellow apparel. I was wearing my neon yellow C9 Champion for Target shorts (actually I am still wearing them because I was too tired to shower at the gym), but others had on tank tops, shorts, and sneakers. There were a lot of neon yellow Nike shoes - Nike calls this color volt, and I blame the Olympics for this sudden neon yellow shoe craze. I prefer white sneakers with neon accents, but maybe that's just me.

I picked out some pieces that I think are cute so that you too can be stylish at the gym.

Nike Free Advantage

The Nike Free Advantage is a trainer. I really believe that trainers are for the gym and running shoes are for running. You might find it annoying to have to keep track of multiple pairs of sneakers, but I think it's worth it. In a pinch, I will workout in my running shoes though.

I'm not that big of a fan of Nike shoes anymore, but they carry a colorful selection. I hate my Nike Free running shoes, and I don't like how flexible the toe box is because it hurts my toes during boot camp classes, but some people love them. Just because I don't like something, doesn't mean I won't let you know it's available.

lululemon turbo run short

I love the turbo run short but I am poor so I only own one pair. And those were a gift. If you want to buy me a gift, please buy me more turbo run shorts. I love how they don't ride up my butt on long runs and they're pretty short, so they show off your legs.

C9 by Champion for Target compression shorts

These are so effing badass, I need a pair immediately. I'd wear them alone, but you could also wear a pair of black shorts over them so that they peak out. Depending on your fitness level, a grey or black sports bra would look sick with these, or you could wear one of those fancy flowy tanks lululemon is always hawking. I think I'd get my arms trapped, but they certainly look good. The other option is my favorite, buy men's extra small undershirts and cut the arms off. Make sure you cut to the outside of the seam. Now I'm thinking about driving over to Target to get this outfit.