Good morning, Shaun

Monday moring, 0500...Astoria, NY...alarm sounds

Little man in my head: "man, this is the most comfortable bed EVER...and it's cozy under the covers! Just cuddle with Jimmy for just one more hour."
Me: "nope."

Off went the covers and on went the workout clothes! Jimmy and I walked to the gym, laptop and water in hand, at dawn. (sounds like we're going to duel! well, we were...kinda!) Still sleepy-eyed and trying to get in the right mind frame to get our butts kicked!

We set up the laptop in the corner of the gym studio and pressed play.

I can't tell whether I like or hate that it starts out so fast. I guess it's good - sure wakes you up quickly so you can get the hard work goin'. Nothing like a heart rate of 175 within 20 minutes of waking up!!!!!!!!!

We were dripping - sweat was flingin' and our hands were so sweaty they were sliding all over the floor for the floor sprints! Serious DNA removal going on!

The little man...now awake and pissed off from being woken up at an ungodly hour, was just a fussin' at me. I literally was talking out loud to him during this workout. "KEEP GOING. I CAN DO THIS. I AM DOING THIS."

We made it to the end - not too bad - we took breaks and were huffing and puffing - but there was no vomiting or nausea today! I realized that I need to get some workout shorts - most of the pants that I wear to workout are usually capri length. By the end of the warmup, my pants are stuck to me and my shirt's come off (I'm in a sports bra...get your mind out of the gutters!!!!). Sweaty mess doesn't begin to describe it.

I make sure to wipe up the sweat puddles before we leave. Need to bring a camera to capture it one morning!

Got home, had Shakeology, prepped food for the day, got ready and came into the office. My mood was IN-CREDIBLE! I felt like I was on Cloud 9. Endorphins were kickin'!!!

So far soreness hasn't been bad. I feel it in my calves and the underside of my butt (Jimmy calls it where your butt smiles!). Lots of pushups today, so I'll see how my chest feels tomorrow - so far, so good!!! Recovery drink during this is a life saver!!!! But I feel like Bastian from The Neverending Story..."not too much (recovery drink)...we still have a long way to go!!!"

I've tried to up my calories for the day. I need to sit down and look at the food guide tonight - says I should take in 2130 calories to maintain my weight (which is what I'm trying to do!). That's almost double what I normally take in. So it will be an adjustment.

Had chocolate shakeology w/ soy yogurt, nut butter and almond milk for breakfast #1. Oatmeal w/ 10 grain cereal, protein powder, nut butter, chopped almonds and frozen berries (this was a BIG bowl of goodness!!!) for breakfast #2. An apple and almonds for AM snack. Leftover pasta w/ red sauce for lunch. Then I have celery and nut butter for my PM snack and will probably have salmon and brown rice and maybe a salad for dinner. And then I'll put in my food, and see if I need a little something before bed. I feel like an eating machine! But I need to - with this program I will be a lean, mean, eating and fighting machine!!!! ggrrrrrrrr!!!!!!

The amazing thing is that I don't feel tired at all. Yes, getting up at 5am wasn't all sunshine and roses, but I can't tell you how great it felt to tackle that first thing! Such an amazing way to start the day. And to have Jimmy there to tackle it with me made it that much better! But I feel so great right now that I'm going to hit up Power Yoga tonight!!!!

I think I'm going to take weekly progress pics - and then pics on the fit test days. My abs feel tighter already and my whole body feels strong. Looking forward to being able to see improvements as I go through the program. Taking less breaks, jumping higher, squatting lower - things like that. I know there were moves from the Fit Test that I can improve on form wise - and so my numbers from the Fit Test might go down, but now that I know proper form, there's no cheating!!!

Jimmy's travelling the rest of the week, so I'll be on my own. But I'll be up and at 'em at 5am every morning. It's like ripping off a bandaid - better to do it quickly than to make the anticipation drag on. Get it done first thing - then the rest of the day will be smooth sailing!!

It's begun

So the journey has begun!

I did the INSANITY Fit Test yesterday - here are the results:

Switch Kicks 60

Power Jacks 60

Power Knees 112

Power Jumps 50 (need to improve form)

GLobe Jumps 9

Suicide Jumps 19 (need to improve form)

Pushup Jacks 22

Low Plank Oblique 32 (need to keep butt down)

I'm not putting these up to compare to anyone else - this is just where I'm at.  I'm doing this for ME!

Did Plyo Cardio today - I got angry with it and pushed thru...and there were lots of breaks and  modifications at the end.  The second round of this workout kills me!!! (in a good way)  I was shaking and wanting to crumble onto the ground, but I had to silence the little man in my head.  When I was weak and ready to stop, I just remembered that fire that I have in me - and the vision in my head of me killing this workout (which that time will come!!!)!!    

I CAN do it.  I WILL do it.

This was a nice one to start with since we had the preview DVD, I was already familiar with what I was up against.

This weekend, I will write out my schedule for the first month of this adventure.  I want to still keep my yoga classes in the mix twice a week.  After putting my body thru this craziness, I'm going to need a little zen!!!

I know I'm going to be sore from this - I can already feel it in my lower back...this program is core city!!!!  

It's going to be one hell of an adventure...stay tuned!!!

The little man...

So I am getting ready to undertake a new workout program. It's called INSANITY. And it's aptly named. It's Beachbody's latest release and it's touted as the toughest thing they've ever put out. Jimmy had the privlege of being in three of the DVDs. He thought he was in great shape...until he went through the auditions and filming of INSANITY. He said he was nauseus in the warm up...I knew I had to try it but when he would describe these moves, I just kept thinking man, there is no way that I'm going to be able to keep up with this.



Why...why was that the first thought in my head?



I didn't know what these moves looked like, yet I chose a negative reaction as my first first response. Who knows, Jimmy may be fit, but it might be something that I could dance circles around him doing. I didn't know. All I knew was that he was wiped by the end of the shoot.



Far too often, we second guess ourselves and sell ourself short. I'm very guilty of it. I'm trying to get better at it. Trying to have more of an open mind about things and not to have an initial negative reaction. But it's tough. It's something that is so embedded that it's automatic. And it takes a lot of focus to change that.



As the delivery date of INSANITY soon approaches, I keep thinking I CAN DO THIS!!! I WILL DO THIS!!! And yet, like the little man with the hammer that lives in your head when you have a headache, this little man in my head keeps saying "are you sure??...this is some pretty intense stuff". Really?!?! Come on, man...



Then yesterday, I was poking around in my Coaching Back Office and there were testimonials up from the people who'd gone through the test group. I watched Alysia's first. 40 year old mother of twins. Holy cow. She looked amazing. I have to admit that I got choked up and a little teary eyed when I watched this. I want to be in that kind of shape after I have kids. Wow... The little man in my head grew quieter.



Later in the day, I watched Rachel's story. Rachel was a fit gal to begin with, but man oh man, she looked incredible after!!! The video showed her pushing through some of these moves and just giving it everything that she had! The little man stopped talking.



Then I realized what was making the little man in my head say all of those things. It wasn't fear or self doubt at all. I know that I can do those moves, even if I have to modify some here and there. I know my body well enough and I am comfortable doing modifications until I can go at full speed. I am also a hard worker and if I have a goal, I push to reach it. And I know that there's that fire in me - I see myself, in my head, doing these moves with the people in the video.

I know that I have it in me.

And I think I've figured out where the doubts are coming from.

laziness.

We can all get up and halfway sleep thru out workouts, or phone in some kicking, punching and squatting. But with INSANITY, there's no half-assing it. You have got to give 110% from the time the DVD starts til the time you crumble onto the floor in a pool of your own hard work.

And it always seems so easy to make an excuse as to why we should take the day off from working out - or just do something easy to say that we did something. Or to just stop mid-workout. We convince ourselves that these things are all acceptable and slowly start to get away from the hard work ethic and drive that started us on this workout journey to begin with. I do this a lot - I bust my butt and start seeing great results and then I get complacent with them. And then I just kinda coast thru and then fall off the wagon.

This is all changing.

With my June buckle down month, I really pushed myself and it felt soooo great. I have a refreshed spirit about the whole thing. I realized that I'm not doing it for anyone else but me. The time that I spend working out is time to work on ME...outside and in. And it is precious time, so I have to make the most out of it!

That little man in my head is an evil little man. He's going to be there when I push play, and when I am huffing, puffing and nauseus near the end of the workout. But I'm going to crush him quickly. He will not be able to stick around because I am a fighter and a hard worker and I am ready to tackle this!!!!

Here's what it looks like - let me know if you want to try it - we can tackle it together!!!

bit.ly/vdtuY

*stay tuned for before pics!

Dusty Bottoms 2009

We got back this morning from a really great couple of days in Jacksonville, FL.  The occassion: Dusty Bottoms 2009!  What's Dusty Bottoms you might ask???!  Let's see if I can give a short version...Jimmy & I got married in 2003.  Jimmy had two friends that he went to college with, Dave & Erin, and he invited them both to our wedding.  Dave & Erin had a past - and they were coming unbeknownst to the other...long story short, it was a good thing that they both decided to come to our wedding.  They began dating again and got married New Year's Eve 2007.  They had one of the neatest weddings - it was laid back and low key - and we met and got to know some really great people.  We all said that we'd love to get together every year since we all became close friends - we said this after our wedding, but it never happened.

  A few months after the wedding, we started sharing pics from the wedding week - and we thought we should give our little group of friends a name - after much debate, we decided on The Dusty Bottoms!!  And we immediately began talking about this group get together.  Last year, Dave's parents were nice enough to let us all use their house in the NC mountains - it was GORGEOUS and relaxing - so nice!!!!  And it was like we'd never been apart!  We played lots and lots of Nutso - our favorite game!  So after that great week, we began taking suggestions for next year's get-away.

  Dave & Erin moved from the West Coast back to Dave's hometown of Jacksonville, FL.  We were still trying to figure out a cost effective place for us all to go.  Dave & Erin came up with a brilliant idea for us to come to their new house!  DONE!  We all booked tickets and flew down for an extended July 4th weekend!

  Jimmy & I had a tough June and we were looking for a much needed exhale!  We got to the airport with no problems - only to see that we were delayed...2 hours...then 3 hours...finally boarded about 3 1/2 hours late and arrived in JAX around 2:30am!!  We felt awful since Dave & Erin offered to pick us up from the airport.  But they were troopers - Erin & Emi came in the DB Mobile!  None of us remember the conversations on the way home - we were just all glad to be there!

  Thursday was nice & relaxing - slept in, did Insanity with Erin (she did SO well!!!), made breakfast, took the dogs for a walk and started dinner preparations - it was grill time!!!  Dinner was so nice - almost everyone that could make it arrived - Amy was the only one left to come in on Friday.  Jimmy learned how to play Nutso - wasn't his cup of tea which surprised me,  I thought his competitive nature would come out!  It was a little too chaotic for him!

  Friday was beach day - halleluia!!  After almost 4 weeks straight of rain in NYC, I was jonesin' for some Vitamin D - not to mention sand and the ocean!!!  It was HOT HOT HOT!!!  But sunny and so nice!!!  I was in hog heaven!!!  Jimmy and I have decided that when we move out of NYC, it has to be near the water!   The water was cool - but just the right temp to cool your feet off!  It was my first time in the Atlantic Ocean - so I can now say that I've put my feet in the water coast to coast!!  We left the beach right before the daily afternoon shower - had a great lunch.  It truly felt like vacation!  Then it was time for a nap and then Amy came in.  All hail, the gang's all here!!!  Pasta was the feast of the night - YUMMY!!!  Some of Dave & Erin's friends came over for some hot and heavy rounds of Nutso - good times!  

  Playing Nutso always makes my heart smile - my parents used to have couple friends come over when I was little and they'd all play Nutso - and now we're playing it with our couple friends.

  Saturday was what vacation was all about...relaxation!  I napped and napped and napped some more!!!  We all did - and didn't feel guilty about it for one minute!  We went to the Riverside Market - lots of fresh veggies and crafts.  The goal was to take pics of whatever we wanted to put on Dave & Erin's living room wall - they had a bunch of frames and wanted their friends to help fill them!  Such a fun project!  It was so nice out there - and I think we got some great shots!  Saturday evening, post napping, we went out to the park to check out the fireworks.  We were supposed to be at a great spot to see a couple of fireworks displays.  Dave was nice enough to check out my camera and give me some tips about what all the settings were.  I had the tripod all set up to capture the fireworks...and when they actually started, everyone in front of us stood up and I was too short to take pics!!!  Doh!  But the fireworks that I could see were nice!  We went back to the house and popped some fireworks of our own!  Hadn't done that in years!!!  Good times!

  Then we had to pack.  Seemed like we'd just gotten settled!!!  This vacation flew by.  We were back home in NYC before we knew it.  But instead of needing a vacation from the vacation, it was so relaxing.  We came back feeling refreshed and renewed and ready to tackle what lies ahead!

   June was a long month filled with ups and downs and tough challenges and amazing experiences.   I almost feel a little lost with where to go from here - it's going to be a hard month to top, but the hard work picks back up tomorrow.  

  July's goals - consistent morning runs, yoga twice a week, studying Turbo Kick rounds to be able to teach by August 1st (if not throwing in some guinea-pig test classes before then) & working in INSANITY with my P90X workouts after it comes out mid-month.  

  In addition to fitness stuff, personal goals - consistent morning writing, doing a better job of keeping up with housework and making dinner at night, and most importantly spending some quality time with Jimmy.  June was so go-go-go and we are looking forward to being able to focus on each other.

  I'm not sure what God has in store for us, but I know big stuff is on it's way - and we're just trying to be open and receptive to what that's going to be!!

A little goes a long way...

It's been too long since my last post - I'm going to try to be better about this...

June has been a buckle down week for the Nelsons! Jimmy and I were asked to go on QVC to help promote P90X with Tony Horton. We were STOKED! So we had about a month's notice and my goal was to feel confident enough in a sports bra to justify spending $42 to get a nice one from Lululemon! Some might think it's silly - or I'm sure I'll get the - whatever, you look great in whatever you wear - comments. But it's my @$$ (and abs and the rest of me) out there for all the world to see - and since I was literally going to be a product of the product, I wanted to do them proud!!

I was also studying and training to get my Turbo Kick certification. This means that I'll be able to teach Turbo here in the city - and once I get my Group Certification, I'll be able to teach in gyms!

Jimmy was buckling down to do a photo shoot with our dear friend, Stephen Mosher. He wanted to see how lean he could get and really want to see those abs pop! So he started working with his trainer, Ray, and our chiropracter, Dr. Piken, to start leaning out. The photo shoot was scheduled for the Thursday before our QVC appearance.

So I started adding in morning cardio and afternoon either yoga or lifting. Also started adding in weighted ab routines. Nothing crazy, just raising the intensity. And also sticking to a semi-regular diet - eating every 2 -3 hours and eating very clean.

Jimmy's plan was a mixture of at least two workouts a day (a third weighted ab workout if he was up to it in the evening) and then rotating carb and no carb days.

The month was full of ups and downs - the alarm always seemed to go off way too early, we were both exhausted by the time we saw each other at night, and our moods were all over the map! But we were seeing great progress and were determined to meet our goals!

The day of Jimmy's photo shoot was a bit hectic - he also booked a print gig that same day that ran WAY longer than he thought - but he finally made it to Stephen's and the digital pics that I've seen so far are amazing!! I can't wait to see the real pics!

Then came the big weekend!!! I went to my Turbo Kick certification and had a BLAST!!! I worked my butt off for 8 hours, I was dripping with sweat and have my fingers crossed for the coveted GOLD level certification! From there, we hopped on the train to Philly for QVC.

We arrived at our hotel in Philly at 10pm - had to be downstairs by midnight to head to the QVC studio for our 2am spot. So that gave me one hour to sleep before getting a shower and trying to look somewhat awake! My body was wiped - and I had only just begun. Of course, my mind was racing and I just laid in the bed for an hour. The shower was nice and helped with the soreness that had already begun to set in. I joked with Jimmy that it's a good thing we didn't fly to Philly - the bags under my eyes would have exceeded the weight limit!!!!!!!!

So we got ready and went to the lobby to meet the others - Jenny, Kit, Katie, Doug...and Tony Horton!!! I was excited and nervous. This is someone who has been part of my life for the past 5 years - almost every day - and yet he's a stranger. So we finally meet - and I give him a hug - and I tell him that he smells good.....WHAT!?!?! sigh...stupid filter...never works when you need it to!! So we get to the studio and go thru some blocking on set and have a game plan. The first show went really well and the producers seemed happy - we sold over $100,000 in one hour! Not too shabby!!!

Get back to the hotel room and it was after 4am. We crashed. I woke up at 8:30am and my whole body was screaming at me!!! I laid in bed for a while - working out the knots in my hips and trying to stretch out my shoulders. Tony wanted to workout at the gym next to the hotel and i thought, maybe I'll just go run on the treadmill while they workout. But then when I put on my workout clothes, my attitude changed and I started thinking - man, I am so blessed. I have the opportunity to workout out with one of the top trainers in the nation...FOR FREE!!! So my adrenaline kicked in by the time we hit the lobby. Off we went to the gym...it was going to be chest and back - Lord give me strength! First move...wide grip pullups! EEK! I have been seeing Dr. Piken because I did something to my rhomboid and I haven't done a back workout in probably a week and a half. Luckily, everyone was super supportive - and we all spotted each other. Then we did some pushups on a stability ball - then chinups - more pushups - then what seemed like a bazillion dips. I struggled with these. But Tony was great - he grabbed my ankled and spotted me. And it was no big deal - there was no pressure to try to show off or anything. I did what I could and was proud of that. We also did lawnmowers, heavy pants and some killer pushups with our feet on a Bosu ball and each hand on a medicine ball - CRAZY!!!! It was kinda cool - because the local gym rats would sit there and watch what the guys were doing - and after we'd go to do something else, you'd see them try it!! I kinda felt like we were his little posse!!! It was an amazing hour!!! An hour that I'm STILL sore from...3 days later!!!

After a quick shower, we headed back to the QVC studio for spot #2 - this one was our best one I think. We let Jimmy lead it and we all did what he did. It took your mind off of what to do next - and Jimmy did great! Dinner after spot # 2 was so fun! It was this great tapas restaurant with lots of yummy options! We were also celebrating Tony's 51st bday a few days early - so they brought out some gluten free chocolate lava cakes for all of us to share - DIVINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spot #3 was the best as far as sales went - pulled in over $400,000 in that last hour alone!!! That's a lot of people wanting to get fit!!! Total was over $900,000. A-mazing!

Got back to the hotel and we started talking to this woman - turns out it's Joel Osteen's Mom - and the whole Osteen family was staying at our hotel!!! They were in town for a wedding. So we got to meet Joel and his family. Some of the warmest and sweetest people I've ever met!

Finally got in bed right at midnight. Car pickup was for 4:50am. Ouch... So I was up at 4 to shower and get ready for work - I'd be going straight to the office from Penn Station. Monday was a LONNGGGGG day. I would say that I was running on fumes, but I was wayyy beyond that!!! 12 hours of workouts in 2 days - I was one pooped Cajun!!!! All I kept thinking during the QVC spots was "Dr. Piken will fix me on Monday...Dr. Piken will fix me on Monday" And fix me he did!!!! I'm still sore now, but I am much better. I gave myself one hell of a beating this weekend! And it was all so worth it!

Then - last night I went over to Stephen Mosher's for a little photo shoot. I'd been wanting to sit for him for FOREVER - and the stars magically aligned and we made it happen!!! First half of the shoot was for his project black, white & bare. I chose black. I was a little self conscious at first, but Stephen was great and it was more like coffee talk than pose and say cheese! The second half of the shoot was just fun stuff for me. I took pics in some workout wear to promote our Beachbody stuff - and also to be able to pub my Turbo Kick classes. Then I just did a fun one in Tshirt and jeans. He is truly and artist. He sent me a couple of digitals (he usually only shoots in film, but he has a little pocket digital camera that he'll take a couple of pics with) - wow...he created muscles and poses that I never thought possible. I can't wait to see the film...have to wait til next week for those!

So my month of buckle down has produced some incredible results. I am Turbo Kick Certified, I got to meet, work and workout with Tony Horton and I have a gorgeous set of pictures to document my progress.

Life is good!!

Jimmy and I are leaving tonight to go visit the Cohens and the rest of the Dusty Bottoms in Jacksonville. It will be nice to exhale and relax with friends!

July's goals are starting to shape up...learn Turbo rounds to start teaching by August (if not sooner), tackle INSANITY when it comes out on the 13th, and continue my healthy eating and morning cardio!

Let the sun shine....

So I was going to vent a little about "National Donut Day" - but it got a little to negative. And the sun started shining on this doom and gloom kinda day, so I thought I should spread a little positivity!!!

Lots of blessings have come our way -

We are signing up lots of new coaches to our Beachbody Coaching Team - I'm so so so stoked that so many people are wanting to change lives and make a difference!!! It's a great win-win opportunity - we help people transform their lives, and Beachbody pays us! Not a bad gig if I do say so myself! Anyway - lots of people are coming to us about this great opportunity and it makes my heart happy!!! (Not to throw out a shameless plug, but...) If you'd like to hop on the Coach-wagon with us, please let me know! It's so rewarding - in more ways than one!!

Jimmy and I are both starting a new chapter of our lives...no, we're not pregnant...we're both studying to be Group Fitness Instructors!!! Studying starts today and we test in mid-July. My goal is to be comfortable enough with it to be able to start teaching Turbo Kick at our local gym by the end of the summer! I'm also getting certified in Turbo Kick at the end of the month. It's a specialty certification and I'm REALLY excited about it!!!! I'd like to start teaching at a rented studio in Manhattan ASAP maybe once or twice a week to get practice before going to the gym! I'll post details on that as soon as I get that certification (at the end of June!) - I'll be looking for guinea pigs to come workout with me to help me get comfortable teaching TK! Stay tuned for those details!!!
I'm a little nervous at the short time frame before the GFI certification - but there's a study guide that breaks it into a 30 study period, so that will be handy to figure out where to start and what to learn!! Then there's the practical part of the exam. I'm not terribly worried about it - but I think I'll feel more comfortable once I bury my nose in the book and start becoming familiar with things! Like most things - I have a fear of the unknown!!! But I'm so thankful that Jimmy will be there with me!!

We joined a local gym - Evolution Sports Club. It's a gorgeous gym that's a few blocks from our house. They offer free yoga and spin classes - along with a bunch of other classes! Goal is to hit yoga twice a week which will be so great (Jimmy's rockin' the spin classes)!! Went to Vinyasa yoga last week - soooo nice! I'm bummed that I'll miss it this week - I'll be running in a 5K for work!! But this where I'd like to teach - so I'm so excited! They have a gorgeous studio and are getting ready to add on an additional studio! I've also started running each morning - just have time for about 20 minutes each morning - but man, it is a great way to start my day!
I never thought of myself as a "gym person" - but I've really liked going! Granted, I go at 5:30am during the week and about 7 or 7:30am on the weekends - so it's pretty empty! But it's just nice to be able to add something else to my workout repertory! I'm still lifting and doing other workouts at home - but nice to change things up now and then!!

I read a great book called The Writing Diet by Julia Cameron - and in it, she talks about writing Morning Pages - 3 handwritten pages in a journal each morning. It's a way to unlock your creativity and to help get pent up feelings out on paper, so you can be more productive! So now I set my alarm for 5am each morning and write for about 20 minutes - then head over to the gym for my morning run. It's a perfect way to start my day - clear headed, focused and ready to conquer what lies ahead! Nice to have that "me time" first thing in the morning. Sometimes Jimmy comes to the gym with me - which is fun - but I like the writing first thing - nice quiet, peaceful way to start my day. And TOTALLY worth the early alarm!!!

I picked up The Writing Diet to help people who over eat, say they have problems sticking to a meal plan and give into snack attacks. I found it to be really enlightening. I'm not looking to lose weight - but like most people, I sometimes succomb to cravings - be it a piece of dark chocolate or ordering out for lunch instead of eating what I prepared. Jimmy and I are getting ready to shoot a couple of spots for P90X on QVC at the end of the June. So June 1st we began being really mindful of our workouts and our food intake. Just pushing ourselves to be at peak performance by the end of the month. It's been a lot of hard work - and we're starting to see really great results....anyway...so the book has been really great with helping me during those times when an Amy's no cheese vegan pizza tempts me (I eat the whole thing...sigh). I highly recommend it - it's a quick read and full of really great info - why we overeat, why certain things tempt us, how to get around those pesky cravings and lots more!!!

Sunday Funday workouts in Central Park are going really well. We've had new faces come each week and are excited to see people come back each week!!! It's been GORGEOUS the past 3 weeks - so it's a great start to Sunday - working out with friends in the sunshine! We met this man - his name is Jimmy - he's got to be in his mid-70s - he's there doing his yoga stretches every Sunday - and he gets on the pullup bar and does some amazing balance stuff. He blows my mind! Said it's all because he started doing yoga about 30 years ago. I want to be that strong and agile when I'm his age. He's an inspiration!!! (Another shameless plug...) If you want to join us for Sunday Funday workouts - we meet at the Northwest corner of 85th Street and 5th Avenue at 10am each Sunday. Most of the workouts are Legs and Back - some chest work if the ground's dry! And it's suitable for all fitness levels - we have modified, regular and advanced moves for everything! So bring a friend...or two!!!

As a result of my Morning Pages - I've found my way back to tap class! It's been probably close to 3 years since I was in class last - so I was a bit nervous that something that I'd like to think I was pretty good would be gone. I think I held my own - its was an Advanced Beginner class - there were some challenging things, but I wasn't the weakest in the class - not the strongest in the class either - which is just fine by me - gives me something to work at. I was just so thankful and happy that I still had it...a bit rusty, but it'll come. It felt so great to be back in my taps!!!

I'm sure there's more - but that's about all I can think about for now. God has been really good to us - and we're so thankful for the many blessings- and excited to see what lies ahead!!!

Forget Cloud 9 - this is Cloud 2620!

So I just had probably one of the most AMAZING weekends of my life!

Saturday...

So I signed up to become a Turbo Kick Instructor - and with the sign up, I got to go to a VIP workout with Chalene Johnson!  She's one of my heros and I was SOOO stoked to get this opportunity!!!

The workout was KILLER - I had so much fun - I've never been so sweaty in my life!  Words can't describe how great it was!!!  We did the new Round 37 followed by a little Hip Hop Hustle.  If you haven't heard of Turbo Kick or Hip Hop Hustle - you should - everyone needs something this great in their lives!!!  www.turbokick.com 

So at the end of the workout, Chalene's husband, Brett, and Mike Karpenko walk in - 

(side note...Mike is a personal trainer extraordinaire!!!  He helps create test groups for new workout programs and is just a ball of energy - he could literally talk about fitness ALL DAY LONG - he's a wealth of knowledge - I worked with him to come up with the female/beginner version of the Minute 2 Minute Challenge - and this was my first time meeting him...great first impression - I looked like a drowned rat - and I probably smelled like hard work!!!)

So the guys come in and wanted to see our Hip Hop Hustle and then the Turbo section for Round 37 (which we'd already done about half a dozen times)...so we crank both out - trying not to collapse from exhaustion - they were videoing up - so we HAD to step it up!!!

After the workout - Chalene was so gracious with her time - she took pics and talked with everyone - I was able to talk to her and Brett - they are great people...some of the most genuine people I've ever met.  It was such a treat to get to start my day (and this incredible weekend) with them.  I just wish they lived closer!  I would LOVE to be in her workout class every day - she is such a ball of energy - and that's an understatement - she went 90 to nothin' from the very first shoulder roll of the warm up - and just brought up the energy level of the room - it was amazing to see one woman get so many people to push themselves - and all have smiles on their faces!!!

And the cool thing was that she realized who I was before I even said hello.  I tagged her in a pic of Kasey and me from Kasey's wedding - we were flexing - showing off our ChaLEAN Extreme results!  And she and Brett both brought it up.  These people meet SO many people - and I was so awe-struck (if that's even a word) - that they remembered ME....wow....

After the workout, I was in such a fog, I was randomly walking around the streets of New York trying to figure out what I had to do next!!!  Finally figured that I needed to go to Whole Foods!

So I went grocery shopping and got the makings of a feast!  Jimmy and the gang were on their way in - and Adrian and I were going to make them a welcome home dinner.  They wouldn't be home til later in the afternoon - which ended up being really late because they got a flat tire on the way - so I had lots of time to kill.  I tried to take a nap...twice, but I was still so excited from my workout with Chalene that I couldn't sleep!!!  So I cooked!  

My part of dinner was this AWESOME vegan (and healthy) spinach artichoke dip, pico de gallo, veggie fajitas, and a take off on Tony Horton's Stick Roll recipe - I'll post the recipe at the end of this if I remember!!!  Adrian was making skirt steak for peeps that wanted meaty fajitas and this mango, red onion salad and these great little cucumber and hummus sandwich things.  He's gourmet all the way - I'm like I made dip!!  And he's like I made homemade hummus and put it between two thinly sliced pieces of cucumber and topped with a dash of cumin!  (They were incredible!!!)

So they finally arrive close to 10:30 - exhausted and starving!!!  We chowed down!  And then all passed out.  Well...we laid in the bed - I don't think I slept - my mind was going a million miles a minute processing the events of the day - and having Jimmy back in the bed and getting used to him tossing and turning!  

SUNDAY...

The day started at 6:30 - woke up to sun shine and pigeons cooing (they camp out on our fire escape!) - we all got ready and drove into the city.  It was my first time being in a car in the city that wasn't a cab.  It was kinda fun, but I was so nervous about the crazy cabbies swerving!!  Luckily it was Sunday morning, so traffic wasn't bad!

We got to Chelsea Studios - had a great set up - 3 rooms - one for checkin and product set up - and the two rooms for workouts.

Mike and Shaun T arrived along with a slew of people for the day's workouts.  We did 4 workouts and had full rooms each time - SO great that so many people came out to support us and workout with Shaun and Mike!

I didn't get to workout since I was helping facilitate the event, but man, it was intense!!!  After the workout, I finally got to meet Shaun - he's so warm and friendly - I just wanted to hug him!!!  

The guys from Bar Master Extreme came out too.  These guys are ridiculous - google them and look them up on You Tube.  The things that they do blow my mind!  So it was nice to talk with them and show them what we do - and they showed us a little of what they do.  

After the workout, we were all starving.  So we went to one of our FAV spots - Blockheads for burritos!  So nice to sit outside in the sun - although it was pretty chilly with the wind - no complaints...it was SUNNY!!!!  Mike came with us - and so it was great to pick his brain about different things.  He's AWESOME.  

So during the walk to Blockheads, he said his friend Brett Hoebel might be joining us.  Brett Hoebel is the creator of the HIGHLY anticipated REV ABS - it's a capoeria based workout that is ridiculous.  I drool every time I see the promo clip!  So when he showed up, that was the icing on the cake.  

Wow - talk about a guy that knows his stuff.  Brett really is the total package of trainers.  He's not just a pretty face hocking some DVD that he shot.  He really knows his stuff - and listening to him talk not just about REV ABS, but just about personal training and stuff - made me want to go get my PT certification TONIGHT!   Mike is the same way.  Sitting next to them after lunch was such a treat - I was like a little sponge trying to absorb as much as possible (without letting my mouth hang open!!!)

It really made me realize how fortunate I am.  And it's thanks to Jimmy...among other things.  4 1/2 years ago, Jimmy wanted to get Power 90.  I wasn't too keen on it because he had a gym membership, so I didn't really see the point.  But that first step opened SO many doors for us.  I look back on the last 4 1/2 years and of all the turns our path has taken.  And I'm so excited to see what the next turns will be.  I am so thankful that fitness has worked its way into my life.  I was the little Cajun who ate fried fried and didn't workout - and now I crave a good sweat and healthy food!  And now, as a coach, I want to help SO many other people change for the better.   Getting Turbo Kick certified will be my first step in this next chapter.  And I'm stoked!!!  My friend, Diane, is going to start coming over on Fridays to work on stuff.  She got certified in April and is trying to learn the rounds to be able to teach - and I want help with form and getting prepped for the certification!

And also to be able to meet all these celebrity trainers - these people are my heroes - and I got to meet them all in one weekend!  It was truly an amazing weekend.  When I think back on it, it seems like a dream.  A VERY VERY GOOD DREAM!!!!  

Oh - here's the "sticky bar" recipe:

1/2 cup dry oats

1/4 cup nut butter

1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology

1/2 banana

Cook the oats according to the package (I got organic instant oats and made them in the microwave)

Let the oats cool.

While the oats are cooling - mix the nut butter, Shakeology & banana (I mashed up the bananas with my hands) in a bowl.  Add the oats when they're cooled.

Stir - it will make a pasty-puddingy consistency.

You can form it into a little brick either on wax paper or foil.  I put mine in a glass cassarole dish (I quadrupled the recipe) and covered it with foil.

Freeze for about 90 minutes.

I left mine in the freezer for half the day - so it needed to thaw a little before serving - it was hard as a rock!  A good rock!!

Enjoy!!