Go Fit Girl!

Self-portrait while at the gym designing my own spin class.

Last month when I was in Phoenix visiting friends Erica and I were talking about spin. Erica loves spin. But her schedule has made it difficult for her to make classes.

I believe there is a gym at her work building. I suggested she design her own spin class, which I have done before. I just stick in my earbuds and shuffle my music. Almost every song on my song list seems appropriate for spinning. Michael Jackson, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Green Day, The Killers, Muse, music from a friend’s band, etc. The only song that I found (so far) that really doesn’t seem to work is Eye of the Tiger. I love that song for working out. But the beat is kinda odd for spin.

I have found that if the song has a good, strong beat you can spin to it–whether it is climbing, intervals, sprints, etc.

When Erica and I were having our conversation I remembered that the US Weekly (January 25, 2010 edition) I had just read had a list of Soulcycle’s Motivating Mix:

1. Learning to Fly Kate Earl

2. Hard (featuring Young Jeezy) Rihanna

3. Satisfaction Benny Benassi Presents the Biz

4. Breathe Me (Mylo remix) Sia

5. Telephone (featuring Beyonce Knowles) Lady Gaga

6. Horseshoes and Handgrenades Green Day

7. Stunned Out (featuring Yung Joc) Paula DeAnda

8. Magnificent (Fred Falke full club mix) U2

I did at least a quick listen to each of these songs and they seem like good songs to spin to. What do you think? Any songs that you would suggest?

I did my usual Saturday workout at the gym: 1 hour of spin; half an hour of abs; and half an hour of body conditioning.

While pumping my dumbbells in the last half an hour of my workout I could smell something really good. In the area where my gym is there are some restaurants and bars, etc.

I am not a huge beef eater. But there was some sort of steak thingie being cooked and it smelled so good. Awww, man. That was so cruel.

I came home and had some coffee and whole wheat waffles with peanut butter. Not quite as tasty as a steak–though I am sure the steak would have disappointed.

In the food department I was eating rather healthy until … yesterday.

I had a training in the city. They provided us breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner. For some reason I just couldn’t not eat the cookies. Of course, I ate more than I should. At lunch there were these amazing potatoes. Most people were raving about them, me included.

We had a cocktail hour and the drinks were flowing. Dinner was delicious and fairly healthy. I wasn’t planning on having dessert and all of sudden there was dessert sitting in front of me.

Today more yummy breakfast and cookies at break time. Lunch we were on our own. I had a side salad and a slice of cheese pizza.

Then tonight after yoga I am meeting some girlfriends for dinner at a Thai restaurant.

Then Sunday is the Super Bowl and we are hanging out at our friends’ place. I am assuming there will be few healthy items available.

Then … yup, there’s more …

Our friend Karen comes into town and we will hang out one night next week. My cousin and his wife come to visit next week for a long weekend … and I know there will be some restaurant visiting.

Whew! I am trying so hard to be good foodwise. It is SO HARD! Maybe after all of that I will have to do a food detox.

Since yoga has been temporarily (I keep using that word) been canceled until a new teacher is found I have to do some other sort of work out on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Tonight I went to spin. Miwa, who teaches Thursday nights, subbed tonight. Not sure who actually teaches Wednesday nights. (Some of the classes and teachers have been a little out of sorts lately.) Miwa is spunky and teaches a good hard class.

Tonight she had us imagine that we had one of those kid carts things attached to the back of our bike. Every minute we would add a “kid” to the cart. Miwa’s classes are really tough, but she makes them fun.

At the end of class I was absolutely soaked.

I am missing spin tomorrow because I have a training in the city (and a dinner afterward). I won’t be back in time for class.

Guest Post: Rob

A lot of things can happen in eight years time. Brett Favre could retire, health care could be reformed or Lady Gaga could wear something normal–the point is, that’s kind of a long time!

Still, it had been that long since my last check up or even a visit to a doctor for any reason since being discharged from the Navy in 2001. I was sent on my way with a clean bill of health and no reason to suspect any problems and life was good. That is, until about a month ago when a fluke instance of dehydration had convinced me to maybe just go in and get some basic labs done, you know, just to see if everything is still OK.

I’m 39 years old now, 31 when I was discharged from the Navy. I am 5’8” tall and weigh 184lbs with a medium build. I feel great and I have been healthy for the past eight years as far as I can tell.

I don‘t work out. But I also don’t eat a lot of sweets or drink a lot of soda. My diet is not  based on fast, greasy foods and I drink a lot of water. So what in the world should  I be concerned about, right? I’m just an ordinary, average guy. This, I discovered, could be precisely the problem.

When the results of my labs came back, I was scared to death. Not only was my cholesterol at 294 (LDL 180) but my glucose was 107.

In real terms the message was, you have high cholesterol and are pre-diabetic. How could this be?! I didn’t think my lifestyle was such that these kind of numbers would be the outcome and as it turns out, my doctor suggested that no matter my diet (to some degree), I may be genetically predisposed to perhaps one or both of these conditions. It was upon receipt of this knowledge when I heard a distinct snapping sound in my head telling me that life changes today.

I am only two weeks into my new diet (which is based on the DASH diet) and I’m exercising regularly now. I can already see changes, not only in my appearance through lost weight but also in the quality of the foods I’m eating now. And in my general mood and well-being.

I never imagined I could be faced with these kinds of health-related problems. But I have since learned that complacency and inattention are two very serious symptoms that often go overlooked and/or ignored.

Hopefully my experience will inspire you to make a short appointment with your doctor especially if you haven’t in awhile. Get some basic labs done and take inventory for yourself. The truth has allowed me an opportunity to improve the quality of my life in ways that I couldn’t have realized had I not gone in for just a simple check up and I hope it will do the same for you.

Good luck and treat yourself better.

********
Thanks so much Rob for sharing this with us. If anyone is interested in writing a guest post for Go Fit Girl! let me know via comments or send me an e-mail to: ann@gofitgirl.com.

I was optimistic this morning. I knew there was a good chance we would have no yoga teacher for the morning yoga class at my gym. I got up early and went to the 7:15 a.m. yoga class.

And I was right. No teacher.

I had to workout and couldn’t get sweaty (no stuff to shower and get all good and nice smelling with). So I did yoga by Ann. I figured I could do about 30 minutes totally on my own. I ended up doing about 40 minutes. Not too shabby.

With my a.m. yoga class being temporarily canceled I have to revamp my workout sked. Which is a bummer on many levels.

Tomorrow night I plan to hit my regular spin class. Then Wednesday I will attend the evening spin class. I will miss class on Thursday because I have a training in the city and then a dinner that evening.

I have been looking at the classes offered on Mondays and Wednesdays and debating on more spin classes, body conditioning, night yoga class, some sort of ballet class … They are all in the evening. On Mondays and Wednesdays there is a 6:15 a.m. body conditioning class. I can’t get up that early and definitely not for cardio.

So for now my evenings are going to be occupied by gym classes. I really enjoy my mixture of yoga and spin. I hope to have it back soon.

So I found out today that my morning yoga classes at this point do NOT have a replacement teacher.

The teacher who took over for January never indicated to the class that he wasn’t permanent. So that is frustrating. And the fact that the teacher in charge of all teachers at the gym is struggling to find a replacement is even more frustrating–though I don’t fault her whatsoever.

My teacher, Sarah, who quit in December had told the gym she could teach through January. But they found someone who could start teaching the beginning of the year so Sarah was gone … but apparently that was conditional.

So do I go to yoga Monday? If I do and there is not class I should be prepared to have to take another class later that day.

I like my workout sked: 3 days of spin; 3 days or yoga; with a sprinkle of abs/core and body conditioning.

I still don’t know what my plan is for Monday. Stay tuned …

My morning yoga classes recently got a new teacher, new to the class but not the gym. The class was bummed when Sarah left after a year.

We got James at the beginning of the year/month. James is definitely more difficult and pushes more. I was really starting to get into his class and enjoy his style.

Then today after we completed our practice James told us that it was his last morning class. Wha? He didn’t know who would be teaching. The early morning class just wasn’t working in his schedule.

I plan on showing up to class on Monday. Let’s hope a yoga instructor does, too.

I was tired and didn’t want to go to spin today. But hey, it is Day 2 of living a healthier lifestyle.

So I made sure I went. When Boku (teacher) arrived I asked him if he had good music tonight. He said he hoped so. And he did. He played some great music, including It’s Raining Men. I told him after class I wanted to jump off my bike and start dancing. (Sometimes Boku plays some weird music.)

It was a tough class. Boku even said it was tough for him. But it was a good work out. And I am glad I went and worked hard.

So today started yet another round of me getting back on track with my health and fitness.

I went to my morning yoga class today.

My menu has been: Cheerios with blueberries and strawberries (love summer fruit!); cup of coffee with Silk creamer; Pesto Chicken Lean Cuisine and salad with spritzer; piece of cheese and turkey jerkey; orange; and for dinner: brown rice with Brussels Srpouts and a Boca burger. There have been a couple of Coke Zeros thrown in (one regular and one vanilla). So far 7 servings of water.

I also weighed myself this morning. I seem to jump around these same 5 pounds. But that’s OK. So I would like to lose 5 pounds to get back to my goal weight.