weekend warrior

hope everyone had as lovely of a weekend! Despite the bipolar weather of NYC, the boy and I had a great weekend

Before the boy arrived Friday night I took a flying trapeze class. For those new to my blog for about 2 1/2 years I was a “frequent flyer” taking trapeze classes religiously every single week. Unfortunately that came to a halting stop when I got tendonitis in my right rotator cuff. After 5 months of physical therapy and whining I returned to the sky last week.

The second class back in action went incredibly well– still no shoulder pain and I definitely didn’t forget everything I know. I worked on my layout, a slightly advanced trick that I had been working on back in March. I didn’t think I would be back to working on layouts in my second class after injury, so it was a pleasant surprise to feel like I was back where I left off.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1AvsLcOKPs&feature=youtu.be]

(catching my layout in March)

the instructors gave me some incredible advice about connecting my breath to my action while flying. A lot of people have the tendency to hold their breath while flying (or any strenuous activity– weight lifting? dancing? I sing until my face turns red from not breathing….). Up in the air there is a lot going on and a lot of thing to remember when executing a complicated trick. Focusing on breathing during the “set” (the part where I lift my legs up and hold it before the flip) gave me the power to slow down the frantic thinking in my mind, the “HOLY CRAP I’M GONNA DO A LAYOUT, THIS TRICK IS HARDDDD!” inner monologue, and take control of my trick… yogatrapeze much?

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after trapeze I was hella hot, sweaty and sunburnt and needed something to quench my thirst and fill me up. Enter all the Vega Protein I bought!

I ended up mixing the berry flavored packet in the blender with some almond milk, a banana and ice.

I really enjoyed the protein smoothie (with a side of kettlecorn…) and definitely like the texture and flavor more than when I’ve used vanilla whey protein. I also liked that it was easy to digest and treated my belly kindly.

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Saturday morning I left my sleeping boyfriend to head to the gym for an early morning sweat sesh. I was shocked and a bit angry to find out the 9:30AM ultimate conditioning class was already full at 9AM. Damn, these weekend warriors don’t kid around. Being the group fitness addict that I am I was a bit freaked, but I was already at the gym ready to workout so I couldn’t turn around and head home without breaking a sweat.

So, I sat in the locker room, looking up workouts on my iPhone and made up a plan of attack.

Exercise Glossary:

-turkish getups
-plank with movement: tightening the core and releasing
-tabata: alternating between working (20 seconds) and resting (10 seconds) 8 times. I used a tabata app on my iphone.
– renegade row
– hand release push ups

It was the perfect workout for me— I get bored and discouraged very easily so I like doing workouts that are constantly changing. To make the workout longer repeat a section or add cardio in between the circuits.

I ended up doing the upper body part minus the tabata rows a second time and ended the workout with a quick ab workout.

So hey, I tried to make the best of a bad situation and ended up with a pretty good, sweat inducing workout!

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having a guest all weekend distracted me from Fitness Cheerleader’s Blogger Challenge!

Day 8 How many pairs of workout shoes do you own?

Oof, at the moment I rotate between four (YIKES) pairs of shoes, depending on the activity

1. shoes for running and outdoor bootcamping, a pair of Brooks Defyance which I loveeeeee

2. “I only wear them indoors!!!!!” Asic gym shoes for all my group fitness needs

(you know I only bought them because they are obnoxious colored….)

3. a pair of old asic nimbuses that used to be my indoor only shoes. I use them for day camp and other muddy conditions

4. a pair of Nike Frees that I use on days that I wear my sneakers to the gym to conserve space. They are also my every day walking around the city sneakers….

It’s okay, my whole wardrobe is basically workout clothing nowadays…

Day 9 Do you workout with others or by yourself? Why?

As stated early I am a group fitness junkie. I like working out in a class with others. I generally don’t workout with friends with the exception of my two fabulous gym buddies I have in my hometown. Going to the gym is my “me time” so I like to go alone and do my own thing, even if it’s being in a class full of people I don’t know.

As far as running goes I’ve only ever had 1 running buddy– my boyfriend joined me one day for 5K training. It was fun to have him there for motivation and conversation, but I don’t know if I could run with someone else on a regular basis. Running for me is good “thinking” time.

how about you? do you workout on your own or with others? do you own an excessive amount of sneakers? do you freak out when group fitness classes fill up and you have to workout on your own? (or is that just me :)?)