Too Busy to Eat Breakfast?

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but many of us still skip it. If you wake up at 5am like I do, you probably aren't interested in cooking while you can barely open your eyes. I've been making a quick, simple, and surprisingly tasty breakfast to eat before I leave for the subway. It keeps me full until my 10:25am snack (you've got to love the elementary school schedule) and doesn't wreck havoc on my diet.

-Put 1/2 cup dry Irish-style oats into a microwave safe bowl.
-Cover oats with water until just submerged.
-Microwave for 2 minutes.
-Mix in 1 tbsp of peanut butter. (I like Skippy Super Chunk)
~275 calories~

Stress

Although the Mayor has rescinded his decision to lay off teachers, the wonderful time of the year when the excess list comes out is now upon us. Since the hiring freeze went into effect weeks after I was hired, I am at the bottom of the totem pole yet again. FML.

I spent last year having panic attacks over the whole excessing issue while watching NCIS marathons and inhaling seamlessweb orders in my bed. No wonder I was 20 lbs overweight, depressed, and embarrassed to go out with my thinner friends. I clearly was not handling the stress in a productive manner.

This year I will be dealing with my feelings by kicking my ass in the gym. I'm back to under 125 lbs and making good food choices. The sense of accomplishment I get from pushing myself to lift heavier, move faster, and try more complex classes helps me to cope with the feelings of helplessness I get at work.

Incentive Plan

I use a few different incentive plans as part of my overall classroom management. I know from experience how effective incentives can be and that people will radically change their behavior if they want something badly enough.

To help combat my recent lack of motivation (and weight gain!), I have decided to implement my own incentive plan.  For every twelve hours of workout classes, I will buy myself something new for the gym.  Right now I am after a new pair of crosstrainers.  Since I really want a new pair of sneakers, I have more reason to pause One Tree Hill marathons and drag my fat ass off the couch to the gym.  I chose to only reward myself for fitness classes because this keeps me from cheating.  I don't always workout that hard if I go workout on my own and I don't want to get "credit" for a half-assed attempt on the ellipitical.

The annoying thing is that most NYC Equinox fitness classes are only 45 minutes.  On Long Island they are an hour, which makes the whole counting thing a bit easier.  Regardless, I am going for a full twelve hours before I get these shoes.  I have completed 4.5 hours as of last night.

Gym Bag Love

I fell in love with a gym bag. After several purchases, I finally found the perfect bag to bring the basic essentials with me to work so I can hit the gym right after I get back to Manhattan. All the Equinoxes are conveniently located within a block of the subway stops. I have found that I lose motivation if I walk back to my apartment to get changed.

Walking to the End of the World

So last night's anxiously awaited East River run was cancelled. My running buddy was recently accepted into med school and her acceptance package was being held hostage by the UPS warehouse. Don't get me started on how it is absolutely ridiculous that packages are only delivered during the hours that most people are at work and unavailable to sign for them. I digress.

Instead of the run, I volunteered to join my friend on a walk from the UES to 43rd and 10th. It's about 7 miles round trip. We walked along the park and Columbus Circle. The tourists lined up for carriage rides made part of the trip dismal, but on the way back it was quiet and peaceful. We even saw a racoon in a garbage can. I must admit that his presence made me nervous. One of my students last year told me that you should be concerned if you see a racoon and concrete. Granted, she phrased this wisdom a bit differently.

I wore my HRM for the trip to UPS and clocked 295 calories before I paused it. The signal got lost and it was getting uncomfortable so I took it off on the way back. Still, a 7 mile walk is great exercise for a rest day and a good way to catch up with a friend. Hopefully the weather stays nice because I might start my own walking tours.

Training C.A.M.P

I must admit that I have been anxious lately about my workout schedule. Before the move I had my routine set, including back up plans in case of traffic. I was also concerned that I wouldn't find a suitable replacement for Yves' cardio kickboxing class. While my schedule may still be out of whack, I have found a new class to be obsessed with.

Curtis Williams' Training C.A.M.P is everything I could have wanted and more. Based on exercises used by NFL players, we spent 45 minutes sprinting, shuffling, and doing absurd plyometric push-up/lunge/squat things that seemed impossible. I felt like I was going to throw up, in a good way.

This class is for people who want to work hard. There was an equal amount of men and women taking the class, which is somewhat unusual for group fitness classes that are not spinning. Unlike many of the classes I have gone to, you will not see a woman wearing too much make-up and impractical workout gear tapping her feet while staring at herself in the mirrors. This is a good thing.

*Finish up your workout with Curtis' 15 minute Ab Blast class directly following Training C.A.M.P

Urban Rebounding

Last night I went to Urban Rebounding at the 85th & 3rd location. Yes, that's right. I finally moved back to NYC!
I have dabbled in Urban Rebounding before. Roslyn offered it briefly in the winter of 2007/2008, but I guess it wasn't very popular. I went to the class at 63rd & Lex, which is taught by the instructor who created it, JB Burns, a few times last year.
The Urban Rebounder is a mini trampoline. The entire class is taught while on it. You quickly learn the set of exercises, but executing them well is the challenging part. There's the basic bounce, with legs spread shoulder width apart and hands on the hips. The key to bouncing is jumping down, instead of up. Many of the other exercises are moves you'd recognize from step and kickboxing classes. We did step touches, hamstring curls, power squats, high knee runs, and military presses. The difference is that you are constantly bouncing. You can even mock rope. If you think you can mock rope on the ground easily, this will still be a major challenge.
One of the things I have always liked about this class is the use of the quarter turn. The instructors design the routine so that you are doing the same set of exercises at least four times. It's really cool to see the entire room doing the moves while bouncing and moving in a circle.
Yesterday I used handweights during the class for the first time. This makes it more challenging. Last time I tried it, I thought my arms were going to give out, but I've really improved my fitness level over the last year. Urban Rebounding is a great cardio workout that keeps your heart rate up. I think I'm going to make it part of my regular routine.

Urban Rebounding, 85th & 3rd
Monday 7:05pm-7:50pm (abs run over)

Barre Burn and falling off the wagon

     I have been eating like it's going out of style and it has totally caught up with me.  I was finally so disgusted with myself that I had to visualize myself at my absolute heaviest and then prevent myself from throwing up in my mouth.
     Speaking of throwing up in my mouth, I went to Barre Burn tonight for the first time in over a month and it was so hard, I did throw up in my mouth.  This class is a mixture of pilates, yoga, light weights, and barre work.  My quads were burning so much at the bar that I thought I was going to keel over and I prayed that the 3 minute segments would be over before I passed out.  We did this pretzel move that targeted our obliques, glutes, and thigh muscles that was absolute torture, but I swear I could feel it working immediately.  This is a class that gives results.
    Definitely worth going.  When I was going regularly, I noticed an improvement in my flexibility that is certainly lacking now.

Woohoo! Bonne is back on Wednesdays!

    After months of requesting (okay, maybe harassing is a better word) the Group Fitness managers at the Long Island Equinox locations, Bonne has evening classes again!  Unfortunately I'm moving next week, but I was able to attend tonight's Strength and Sculpt.  My butt kills!  The thing I love most about Bonne as an instructor is her attention to form.  She is great about making small but crucial corrections that end up making a big difference.
    Bonne will be teaching cardio at 4:30 pm and sculpt at 6 pm on Wednesdays at the Roslyn Equinox from now on.  Make sure to get there.  You'll thank me.

The Quantity of Quality Socks

     I spend a good portion of each day wearing athletic socks and I am very particular about the socks I wear.  I HATE socks that cover my ankles.  I think this encourages a cankle look and should be avoided at all costs.
     After much trial and error, I found my absolute favorite socks.  Someone in my family bought the Old Navy athletic socks and a pair found their way into my closet.  I wore them to kickboxing and fell in love.  The socks come in many colors, including plain white.  I happen to be partial to the blue and turquoise socks because I think they look pretty.  I also like the grey ones as well.
    The best thing about these socks is that they don't move around.  The problem with many low-cut socks is that they slip below your sneaker and then give you blisters.  It is also a really irritating feeling when a sock keeps slipping lower and lower into your shoe.  Old Navy socks are just the right thickness to keep your foot feeling cushioned but not bulky.  And the price is a steal!  The sticker says 2 for $10, which means 2 packs of 3 pairs of socks.  Six pairs of socks for 10 bucks?  Some of the other brands charge $12 for one pair of socks and they just don't measure up.  The quantity of quality socks just can't be beat.