So You Think You Can Dance?

Not really. I don’t think I can dance at all. That is why I enrolled in a Hip-Hop Funk class at Vanderbilt. The first class was this week and let me tell you what…I looked ridonkulous. But the instructor was very upbeat and fun, and Susanna and I just had a total blast! I have already practiced my moves and can’t wait until the next session. Hopefully, some folks will beg out because with 52 bodies in a dance studio hip-hoppin around, it gets a little stuffy. Not to mention, when a move calls for “kickin’ it out”, best believe I gonna need a little space.
Watch out! I’m gonna bust a move the next chance I get! However, it might look a little out of place if the next chance I get happens to be downtown at a honky tonk.

Step Off, Home Slice!

That’s right, I’m talkin’ to you, else we gonna have a dance off. That’s right, I said, “DANCE OFF”. See, I just get signed up for a hip-hop funk dance class and I’ll show you if you give me any lip. I’ll go all Julia Stiles in Save the Last Dance on yo ass. Sit back, hilarity is sure to ensue.

So Annoying.

It is 7:40 a.m. I just got back from the gym. No, I didn’t work out. I wanted to, but the gym wasn’t open yet. I am annoyed. And concerned. If I am getting to the gym before it opens, does that mean I have a problem? JK. Sort of. Actually, today is Kentucky Derby day, so I’ve gots to get my fitness responsibilities taken care of so I can get my Mint Julep on! WOOT! JK again. I don’t drink brown likker. I think today is a Pimms Cup day. Or maybe just champagne.

UPDATE: 11:30 – ran 6.5 miles, did 3 sets of push-ups on bossu, hammer curls, crunches, 1-leg squats, and roman chair. 6th day this week lifting. I am officially crazy. Time to get my party on.

Poop Sandwich Award

1. Happy Star Wars Day – May the 4th be with you.

2. Today’s Poop Sandwich Award goes to two people who think it is terribly funny to go on a booze cruise in Baltimore, get all likkered up, and drunk dial me in the middle of the night. YO! I wake up at 4:30 AM to go to the gym! So. Not. Funny.
POOP SANDWICH TO YOU BOTH!

Recovery Week

I really haven’t written much about Boot basically because all of this working out is 1) boring for people who aren’t into it, 2) perfectly integrated into my life – I hardly notice it! That’s a lie. I totally notice it. Like, I am totally noticing that this week is a recovery week. WOOT!

Look at my cardio:

Monday: Off (actually, it was supposed to be intervals, but I am swapping with Thursday)
Tuesday: 60 minute steady state, with my heart rate between 148 – 155
Wednesday: 50 minute steady state, HR above 155 (ouch!)
Thursday: Interval day! Bite me! 10′ warm up, 4×5′ @ HR above 160, 4×4′ @ HR below 144
Friday: 60 minute steady state, easy HR below 144
Saturday: 60 minute steady state, easy HR below 144
Sunday: Off – WOOT!

Really, working out with a heartrate monitor is the BEST. That way, I can say, “Hey, O-Town, you are really pushing it too hard, ease up or the last 15 minutes are gonna be murder!” Makes life so much easier. So, I’ll still be lifting every day (M – F), just not crushing myself. I think I kind of have my food under control. I try to be as consistent as possible. Seriously, 1200 calories is a LOT of food – as long as you aren’t eating garbage. I rarely feel hungry (today was an exception), and kind of get tired of eating all of the time. In fact, time for my 3:30 snack: 1/2 apple, 1/2c cottage cheese, 1 pack of oatmeal. To be perfectly frank, I am over the cottage cheese. This afternoon snack has been giving me fits for 6 weeks. I just hate eating in the afternoon.

Nashville’s Country Music Marathon

Wow – one year ago yesterday I ran my first (and only to date) half marathon (which actually set me on the path of blogging). I was so sick with food poisoning I didn’t have fun at all. But this year I think I would have liked it. Past Monday, I called to see if I could register – just to do it, you know! – and they organizers had capped participation at 23,000 half-marathon participants. YIKES!

The Country Music Marathon is a blast and it is getting super-duper popular since Nashville is an easy destination to get to and there is a lot of fun stuff to do, not to mention the marathon itself is a blast with bands lined up all around the course. In reality, the bands are lined up all around the half-marathon course. The full marathon course is sparsely attended by runners and fans alike and fairly challenging so I don’t believe there to be a ton of stuff going on in the back 13.1m. Ugh – and I LOATHED my training runs on the back half of the course, over the river and through the hood. Bad.

This year, I was a mere spectator. Hopped on my bike @ 7a.m. and rode over to Belmont to meet up with the Hedges to support our friends and colleagues. Shanan, of course, came prepared with non-fancy champy for Kir Royales to toast the physical prowess of those around us. We saw a LOT of people we knew run by – I was looking for my friend Rachael Rowland who was my running buddy last year, but I never saw her. I was bummed out about that. I really wanted to cheer her on. But I did see Marshall, who I work out with every morning, and was glad to see she was strong and in good humor at mile 7. HALF WAY, BABY! I put her picture on flickr so check it out. We saw Eddie George running with a 6-person security detail. Hilarious. But I can’t hate on him – he is an amazing athlete (and SO TALL) and a Buckeye – HOLLA! I seriously heart him.

After watching two hours of people first whipping by, then running by, then struggling by, then laboring by, then walking by, we (me, Shanan, and Anne) decided to call it a morning and go to the fair grounds for the monthly flea market. I wasn’t looking for anything other than entertainment.

Boy did I get it. Never in my life have I seen so many MORBIDLY OBESE people. I kind of got really mad – I mean, they are going to be a serious serious drain on our healthcare system in years to come (b/c these were people of ALL ages). For-profit healthplans will insure these individuals, who are often times poor or of lower income, and it will be MY premiums that go up. I think there should be a tax break or something for people who maintain their weight within a certain healthy range – yes, I know that is TOTALLY impossible to regulate and police. But something has to be done – this was a pit of adult onset diabetes and heart disease and lifestyle related cancer and just nasty fatness. I can guarantee these people haven’t seen their genitalia in years.

Anne and Shanan, after having their fill of the fair, wanted to go have drinks with lunch. I opted out and went to the gym to run 6 miles (almost a quarter marathon! LOLz) – and thought about how I never wanted to get heart disease.

Athlete, Thy Name Ain’t O-Town

Day #3 of the Boot couldn’t have been harder. My little chicken wings are all sore, my legs feel like lead, and I am tired. Boo-hoo, spoiled girl, working out daily with trainer, you must be saying. Sure, sure, I asked for this, but I don’t think it will turn me into an athlete. But perhaps a more athletic me would be a welcome change.
In the past 72 hours I have ingested over a pound of asparagus, a large bag of baby spinach, 1 whole green pepper, 2 nasty protein smoothies, loads of cottage cheese, 1 cantaloupe, 14 liters of water and a ton of other stuff I don’t feel like listing, it is exhausting. I’ll put my week end totals on the Boot page. But! Heart burn is gonzo! LOVES IT!
I wonder how badly this weekend’s crawfish boil will derail my best efforts this week…To be continued…

Trubs

I am in serious trubs. Met with my trainer, John, today. As the first day of Boot, we simply measured me and did an assessment. According to my “ASS-ASS”ment, I have 35% body fat. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

So, now here are things I must avoid, AT ALL COSTS:
1. fried anything (dang!)
2. pop
3. fast food – fine, don’t eat it anyway
4. alcohol – WHAT?!?
5. candy, cake, cookies
6. ice cream
7. pizza –
8. chips / nachos
9. donuts / pasteries
10. flavored drinks / coffees

I don’t eat most of those things anyway, so that won’t be a hardship. The most difficult thing will be to make sure I get the appropriate quantities of protein and fiber and decrease (by A LOT) my sodium intake. Additionally, on top of 5 1-hour weight training sessions during the week, I need to pile on 1-hour of cardio 6 days a week! You know, plus whatever else I want to do like yoga or pilates or a brisk walk. [GULP!]

Countdown!

Ok…a week from today I will be starting a 5-day per week training schedule at my new gym. They have been running a brilliant outdoor advert campaign for their “Boot” program…check out the website. Each week the billboard was updated with two club-goers’ progress in this extreme disciplined program. So, I’ve decided to put them AND myself to the test. One hour weight training in the a.m., one hour of cardio or cross-training in the p.m. Monday through Friday. I am sure I’ll squeak in some nordic walking at Percy Priest park or pilates at the gym on Saturday and Sunday. I wish there were a nordic walking club in Nashville. Anybody want to create one? Or I’ll create one and you all can join me!
Anyway, I’ll be keeping you all updated with all kinds of boring details like all the crap that I eat, how many inches I am losing, how much pain I am in, how much weight I can (or more accurately, cannot) lift. I cannot decide if this content should have its own page, or maybe just its own tag. I’m going to use tags for now.
There will be plenty of (hilarious) pictures as well.