The Workouts With and Without Friends or Year-End Review, 2011

Got up around seven in order to be at an 8:00 a.m. Hot Yoga class. The only reason that I went is because that class was the only one that Crystal, Jessica and Patti could make. There’s no talking allowed during class but it’s still nice to do a workout with friends. My balance, by the way, bites early in the morning...

I had forgotten some of the activities that I engaged in until I compiled this review. A newer friend asked me if I ever did anything normal like walk for exercise. I find it very hard to resist a long walk when the weather is stellar. Plus, I've had some of my best epiphanies while walking.

There are many days when I gnash my teeth about the variety of activities that make it hard to stick to my philosophy that money spent on fitness is money well spent. I wish that many of the things that I enjoy could be housed under one mega facility and I'm still mulling over the best financial approach to my various pursuits. On the other hand, I'm thrilled that there are many activities that I like to do and that I enjoy moving my body even when it's an intense workout.

I've gained five pounds (well, four since I've taken up Hot Yoga) but no panic here since I still fit comfortably into pants that I purchased three years ago. Looks like I did gain muscle logging in miles of swimming et al.

I heard a lot of memorable things from coaches/teachers/instructors but one of my favorites and maybe because it's fresh in my mind is when Cindy told us during a Hot Yoga class to not let our mind write stories. This strategy is very effective when negative thoughts creep in. Lately, though, there's less and less negativity hanging around my neighborhood...

Happy New Year. Hope that your 2012 is filled with all kinds of fitness pursuits.


10: Minute Solution: 5 Day Get Fit Mix

Cardio Kickboxing, 6 x's

Power Yoga, 2 x's

10 Minute Solution: Best Belly Blasters!

Belly Fat Burner, 1 x

Bikini Belly, 1 x

Dancer's Abs, 1 x

Perfect Pilate Abs, 1 x

Six Pack Ab Attack, 2 x's

Waist Slimmer, 1 x

10 Minute Solution: Dance Your Body Thin!

Smooth and Sexy Moves, 1 x

10 Minute Solution: Fitness Ball Workouts

Arms and Shoulders, 3 x's

Firm Flat Abs, 1 x

Lower Body, 1 x

10 Minute Solution: Hip Hop Dance Mix

Hip Hop Basics, 1 x

10 Minute Solution: Kickbox Bootcamp

Basic Training, 5 x's

Fat Burning Blast, 1 x

10 Minute Solution: Pilates for Beginners

Core Basics, 1 x

10 Minute Solution: rapid results fat burner

Low Impact Fat Blaster, 2 x's

Power Sports Drill, 1 x

10 Minute Solution: Tone Trouble Zones!

Arm and Shoulder Sculpt, 1 x

Sleek and Sexy Abs, 7 x's

Stretching, 10 x

Bicycling, 18 x's


BodyGo Row Classes @ CrossFit, 7 x's


Boxing, 9 x's


CrossFit Basic Training, 5 x's


Give Me 10!

Core Makeover, 1 x

Fat Blasting Cardio, 13 x's

Lower Body Firmer, 1 x

Upper Body Sculpt, 3 x's

Yoga Stretch & Flex, 3 x's

Kettlebell 101, 4 x's


Lawn Mowing, Leaf Raking, Shoveling, (other) Yard Work, 9 x's



Personal Training with Jackie: 30 Day Fast Start

Lower Body & Abs, 1 x

Upper Body, 2 x's

Personal Training with Jackie: Power Circuit Training

15-Minute Ab Circuit, 1 x

40-Minute Total Body Circuit, 3 x's

15-Minute Upper Body Circuit, 57 x's

Personal Training with Jackie: Crunch-Free Xtreme Abs

Standing Crunch-Free, 1 x

Personal Training with Jackie: Xtreme Timesaver Training, 1 x


Rock Climbing, 78 x's



Shred It with Weights, 1 x


Sprint Triathlon, 1 x


Stairmaster, 1 x


Supreme 90 Day System

Chest and Back, 1 x

Swimming, 75 x's


Treadmill, 10 x's


Walking, 111 x's



Wii Fit, 51 x's


Willpower and Grace: mile high*, 2 x's


Yoga, 54 x's (12 x's during month of Dec)








*Disclosure: I received this DVD without charge.

The Bluff

Patti sent me a link to Living Social's deal of the day which happened to be three belly dancing classes for $14. I don't know why I sent you this deal, she wrote, except that this is one activity that you have not tried.

I'm not a dancer although I did try 10 Minute Solution's Dance Your Body Thin! and liked it but those are definitely moves that won't leave the house.

I shrugged as if Patti could see me through cyberspace and said that I wasn't interested.

She wrote back to say that I was lily-livered or something like that. I wrote back that I would try it if she would but she declined my offer.

I resisted the urge to call her lily-livered as well and just asked her to get back to me if she changed her mind.

They Call This The Drishti

Walked into the locker room and saw this totally sweaty, red-faced and spent woman.

Me: Recuperating.

Her: Jeremy.

My immediate reaction was happiness because if Jeremy taught the previous class, he would not be the teacher for the 7:00p.m. class. But what if he taught back-to-back classes? Damn.

This newbie was chatting up the woman at the desk.

Cindy: I'll be teaching the 7 o'clock class.

Me (silently): Yes!

Cindy had her hair back so I hadn't recognized her.

I like Cindy's style. She's firm but not a commando. When she entered the room, she set down the rules.

Rule number one: No leaving the room or else I'll tackle you she said followed by light laughter. She went on to demonstrate the resting poses etc. etc. then we got down to business.

Cindy also explained the importance of gazing at your forehead in the mirror. They call this the drishti, she said.

At several points, we stopped to get reacquainted with our breath and Cindy told us that we could tap into the power of our breathing at any point during our day. A bit later, she told us to not let our mind write stories; in essence, we were to concentrate on our practice and release tension.

I now see the point of gazing at your forehead in the mirror. It was totally helpful during camel pose as I was quite loopy and it settled me down and it was also centering when I had my peace fingers wrapped around my big toes.

When I was at the store, I couldn't resist picking up coconut water for Crystal and Patti. I gave it to them after class. They were tickled not unlike I was tickled at the beginning of class when I placed my mat near Patti's.

You Should Be Your Tallest Self

Got to experience another teacher besides Jeremy and she (Cindy, I think) was a tad bit less intense.

This is my third Hot Yoga outing and, while I still sweat, my body is not the rainforest that it was on the first try.

Here's a sampling of the coaching that went on:

Just melt.

There was no pun intended by the instructor and, really, after bow pose, you really do want to melt into the mat.

During the decoy savasana, we were told:

Eyes open. I'll tell you when to close your eyes.

After our brief savasana, we went into plank and that was intense. Crystal implored us to stay there though.

This is 60 seconds out of a 90 minute class...

As we held a rather intense chair pose and rose but only lifting our upper bodies off of our knees.

Leave your lower body where it's at.

During tree pose, we were told -- knee to the side, crown reaching toward the ceiling and shoulder back:

You should be your tallest self...

I did feel pretty tall and majestic in my alignment.


After class, Patti said We're thinking about going climbing this afternoon. After I closed my mouth, I said: Let me know...

On The Fourth Day of Yoga

My Monday night yoga teacher said that she would be subbing at another branch of my gym. I thought it would be nice to get all centered for, not only Christmas Eve, but for transitioning to 2012.

As I got out of my car, I saw other people emerge out of their cars with telltale mats in a variety of colors.

The instructor for Drills to Make You Sweat took her class up until the absolute last second. A little rude if you ask me.

Our yoga class was full but not uncomfortably so. There was a wife and husband with their son attending and I thought that was pretty cool...

So, I started yoga with Donna on Monday. Did Candlelight Restorative Yoga on Wednesday, Hot Yoga on Thursday and, as I ended my week with yoga, Donna was her usual supportive self telling us to honor our bodies and reminding us that:

Your breath is your power.

During my first class with the Yoga Nazi Jeremy, he told us that yogis have lived without food and without water but not without prana.

Okay, living without prana is not a groundbreaking revelation but what Jeremy did do for me was to help me with breathing. As he reminded us to breathe, he did a five count for the inhalation and a five count for the exhalation. I've been practicing a five count and it's been, surprisingly, helpful as far as me being a better breather.

Decoy Savasanas

Went to Candlelight Restorative Yoga yesterday and went to Hot Yoga today. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum.

When I went to my first hot yoga class last Saturday, I knew the basics: take two towels and water. I also knew not to wear anything that would become transparent.

Crystal via Patti also advised not to eat too big of a breakfast.

What I didn't know was the other stuff so I was surprised when the instructor told us to make sure that we could see our forehead in the mirror and, when he monitors the room, he makes sure that you are gazing in that direction. I read this after the first class on Yoga Spy's blog:

I do Iyengar yoga, not Bikram yoga, which involves looking at one’s mirror image while doing asana.

Jeremy a.k.a. The Yoga Nazi doesn't usually teach on Thursdays but, as I entered the room, Patti whispered to me that that Jeremy would be the teacher.

I put my mat near the back and near Patti. Looked at Patti and got tickled. Luckily, I made it through the giggle phase because there was really nowhere else to go with my mat. When Jeremy came in the room, he moved people around and I ended up back near the front again. Oh well...

As you might have heard, I'm the hard one. That's what Jeremy said before he laid down the law:

Water breaks between poses, no looking around, no closed eyes and no leaving the room. If you think you need to leave the room, raise your hand and I will have a discussion with you about it. If you get tired or cannot do a pose, stand in Tadsana (Mountain Pose) or kneel in Vajrasana (Sitting Pose). No fidgeting. If you absolutely have to wipe sweat off because it's about to roll in your eye, do it...

I felt like the heat didn't bother me as much this time but I also felt more worn out. Jeremy had us doing yogic sit-ups then planks. We kept going from our backs to our stomachs and there were a couple of fake savasanas thrown in.

When we finally got around to the real savasana, Jeremy actually said Namaste before he left the room.

During Downward Facing Dog, Jeremy said that I our feet should be hip width apart and that our hands should be shoulder width apart. He came over to me and said Your hips are not that big. Guess my delusions of grandeur kicked in again...

Rendezvoused

Eight of us rendezvoused for rock climbing and it was fun playing musical climbing partners. When Jessica and I climbed together, I asked her if she knew how to do Eagle Pose and she quickly put her arms and legs together. As I tried it, I made a comment about my shoulders and Jessica added, and I'm paraphrasing, that I had something else sticking out that prevented me from doing Eagle. I laughed because I hadn't thought of that.

I also asked Jessica about flip turns because I think it's about time. She suggested that I practice somersaults on land and that I remember to breathe once I actually start practicing in water.

After we've climbed for a while, we usually ask one another how many routes we have left in us.

Me: I'm done.

Patti: I don't see your fork.

Me: It's in my forkarm.

When I repeated this joke to Leah and Mike, it was like someone hit the instant replay button. Their faces slowly crumpled upon hearing the punchline. Patti got in on the joking too.

Jessica: I'm going to change.

Patti (while slipping her arm around Jessica): Don't change. You're lovely the way you are.

Me: Don't go changing...to try to please me...

As we were leaving, we exchanged holiday greetings. Leah was trying to spare me a sweaty shirt when I pulled her in and said Have yourself a sweaty little Christmas.

And, now, I can't get this song out of my head...

Hot Yoga Eve

Well, actually, it's not the eve of hot yoga since I went today but that's what Patti called it as we reached the end of our countdown.

I'm not quite sure when I agreed to try hot yoga because I don't really like a lot of heat but figured that I could survive a hot yoga class if I was able to survive Las Vegas in July.

The Yoga Nazi teacher introduced himself then handed down the rules and the one that sticks out the most is that once class started, you were not allowed to alter the aura by leaving the room.

I seldom take a shine to anything of a mandatory nature so I just filed that away. Other rules included:

No talking in class

No cell phones (applause) etc. etc.

No intake of water in the middle of a pose

If you get tired, assume the position on your knees and gaze...

Eyes open (with exception of Savasana) at all times

I decided to wear my green t-shirt made out of bamboo and my sole pair of official yoga pants and they worked beautifully.

I managed to find myself at the front of the room and I survived that too.

Even in regular yoga class, I can't manage Eagle and it was definitely unmanageable since I was completely slick with sweat. In the end, my shoulders are way too tight for this move. And Standing Head to Knee pose? Yeah, that didn't work for me either.

As we did yogic sit-ups and planks, I tried to gauge what time it was and was so relieved when the 1.5 hours was up.

We went into Savasana and the teacher said that we should hold the pose for three to five minutes. I've never had a yoga teacher walk out during Savasana but today was the day. What happened to holding the space? That's something that Madonna did beautifully in Candlelight Restorative Yoga. Or, since Hot Yoga is kind of hardcore, should I not expect the teacher to hold the space?

The Massage Nazi

Three weeks after I send a text, she says that she might be available in two days.

I tell her that I might be there.

She also asked me to come fifteen minutes earlier than originally proposed but still saw me at the original time.

When it's time for the massage, the first place that she lays her hand on is my sacrum although her usual first point of contact is the back.

She has really strong hands and the first time that I received a massage from her, I knew that it was going to be special the minute she put her hands on my back.

When the massage is over, she moves from my head to my side and gently touches me. When I open my eyes, she flashes a 100 megawatt smile, tells me to take my time and that there's no rush.

As I put on my shoes, there's a knock at the door.

Me: Did you think that I had fallen asleep?

TMN: I was like she took me seriously.

She changes the sheets as we chit chat and she tells me how much the session will be.

I hand over the dead presidents.

TMN:I like it when my clients pay in cash.

The Massage Nazi knows what she wants and she also knows how to start and finish a massage...

You Haven't Done Child's Pose Until

As I was driving away from the rock climbing gym, I second-guessed my decision to head to yoga. It was dark, raining, yaddayaddayadda.

I have two visits left on a group coupon and since Yoga Wall is on hiatus, I decided to try Candlelight Restorative Yoga.

I walk in and about seven women were already on the floor. Some of them looked as if they were about to give birth.

I rolled out my mat and it looked completely jadan. The teacher, Madonna, quickly came over since I have a tendency to stick out. She gathered props for me: a strap, eggs, blocks, a blanket, a bolster and eye bag.

Madonna assembled some props and asked me to put my back to the bolster. I put the soles of my feet together and put the strap at my back then over my head and, finally, around my feet. The eggs supported my knees and I reclined with an eye bag. It was like reverse Savasana and Madonna did ring a bell to bring us out of each pose. She told me ahead of time that they usually hold one pose for about 10 minutes.

Next, we did Crocodile. Most of the props were moved to the side except for the bolster which we placed our ribs on while placing our foreheads on an egg.

After Crocodile, we put our legs up on the wall and put our eye bags back in place. The bags, by the way, smelled divine.

At some point, we did Child's Pose by placing the bolster at our knees then laying on it. Amazing. I felt like it was the first time that I've gotten the full benefit of the pose. As I was in Child's Pose, I thought Yoga, where have you been for most of life?

During class, Madonna came around to massage feet, legs and shoulders -- the shoulders with some mentholy situation. I know that the massage and yoga communities are intertwined but I'm not sure where the whole massage during yoga comes from. Never mind. Why look a gift horse in the mouth?

We did Savasana and Madonna preambled by saying that it was the most important pose. After we came out of Savasana, we ended the class with three "Om's." Madonna's got some pipes on her. After "Om," you know what came next:

Namaste

You're Taken or Overheard Everywhere

You should be more respectful to your belayer.

Leah to her friend Jessica

Do they sell gloves or something? My fingers hurt.

Newbie rock climber

Excuse me; it's overflowing.

Woman in Trader Joe's new to the coffee grinder. I reached around her and apologized as I shook her can to make room for more coffee.

Cekaj! Cekaj, man!

One horse playing Bosnian to another while in the pool. Cekaj = wait...

You need to get out. Now...

Lifeguard to man who got up a full head of steam and dived into the shallow end.

I'll climb anything from a 5.2 to a 5.12.

Yusuf

Climber: It wasn't pretty.

Her friend: It was beautiful. I'm very proud of you.

I like leeks in everything...

Coworker

The body has an amazing ability to heal itself if given the proper nutrition.

Bryan, acupuncturist

Climber: Take.

Belayer: You're taken.

When the climber has reached the top of a route, he or she usually says "take" or "take it up" and the belayer says "gotcha." The belayer, in this instance, is a native French speaker and I really like the way he turned the phrase after his climber asked for a "take."

Brace the Lats

Warm-Up for Kettlebell 101:

Run around the room. Run around the room swinging one arm then the other. Skip around the room. Shuffle towards the mirror. Shuffle in the other direction. Make use of all the floor space while running...

After the warm-up, another newbie said: Okay, I'm done. I gave her a high five then went to assume the position near my kettlebell.

We moved on to our usual of jumping jacks et al. Warmed up the shoulders a bit more. Warmed up the hip region and the knees...

Mike was not playing around (row, push-up, around the body and catch, shoulder press, squat curl). When it was all over, he had administered a very thorough beat down.

We did our regular kettlebell swings and we did that darn one minute circuit of lunges. It's official: I cannot stand that curtsy situation.

The newbies got introduced to the swing and release. Um, I didn't quite catch on to that one. Not sure if this is the one that Mike said you should have T-rex arms for...

I have to say that I like it that Mike insists that we get into a circle or, really, an oval. It makes you feel more connected to your classmates.

Towards the end, we sat down and took our legs far apart. Each person said a number and we did arm presses and some other move. There were eleven of us so it was pretty intense.

We also did ab work. Have you ever held a kettlebell over your chest while doing bicycle motions with your leg? Or extended your straightened legs toward you then the floor? We also did windshield wipers with our kettlebells poised above our chests.

Mike also introduced us to the waiter walk. You put the kettlebell in your hand and hold it out as if you're a waiter serving someone and you can't curl your fingers around it. Mike said that when you're doing the waiter walk, you should brace your lats. There was not enough bracing in the world for me to be able to serve. I tried with my right hand and got absolutely nowhere with the left.

I bought my first kettlebell. I was going to get it from Play It Again Sports but they only had the kb's in five pound increments and Mike suggested that I get a 10 kg. Like luggage, I need to put an identifying marker on my k'bell because I don't want anyone to walk away with it. Maybe I should name it too. I like Adabelle or, maybe, just Belle.

Don't Run From It

I have been jonesing to swim but when my designated swimming days came around, I couldn't bear to go out in the cold then get into a cold pool but today it was in the 40's and I was determined to go.

It was nice and humid inside and the water actually had a smidgen of warmth. I played with a baby and talked to Chatty Kathleen but still managed to get in 24 laps when Bob Harper kicked in...stand up and finish what you started.

I got in 33 laps and it wasn't as taxing as my previous pursuits of a mile. I won't say that it was easy because my arms were aching since I did Jackie Warner's Personal Training with Jackie: 30 Day Fast Start* yesterday.

I chased the burn or maybe the burn chased me.


How my arms got sore:

Pyramid One:

Push-up and Bicep Routine (i.e. one push-up, one biceps curl...two push-ups + two curls...repeat until you get to ten.)

Pyramid Two:

Chest Press and Biceps Curl


Pyramid Three:

Chest Fly and Outward Biceps Curl


Pyramid Four:

Row and Head Banger


Pyramid Five:

Wide Row and Kickback


Pyramid Six:

Side Extension & Kickback


Right around pyramid four, Warner advises you to chase the burn instead of running away from it. By the fifth pyramid session, my arms were on fire and I couldn't finish pyramid six.

I did the lower body segment last Sunday and my hamstring muscles were so tight that I couldn't straighten my legs in yoga class. I took a salt bath and the next day, in true pyramid fashion, my quadriceps got in on the soreness.


*Disclosure: I received this video without charge.

Unique Climbing Invitation

I've been waiting for Leah to wax poetic again...


We checked our schedule,
Then checked it twice;
And hope that you'll be nice
To climb with us this yule.

This Sunday Fair
The fun starts at eleven
Will there be all seven?
The question remains where?
Which location
To practice our vocation?


* * *

In addition to poetry, here's a little rock climbing humor.

Gazing at the Third Eye or The Gospel According to Donna, My Other Yoga Teacher

Savasana is a gift that you should give yourself every day.

If you're not breathing, you're not doing the practice.

Wherever you go, you must breathe.

(While we tried to get our fingers to our toes)

Heart center open...

Let your head hang low -- like a piece of ripe fruit.

I don't like to hear the word "ouch."

While we were doing pigeon and curious pigeon.

Strong and majestic -- like a mountain...

Even though your eyes are closed, you're gazing at your third eye which is right above the bridge of your nose.

Your tush should not torque.

During chair pose

Wherever you go, it should feel good. This pose is a restorative position.

Donna on child's pose. She told us that we could put our big toes together or whatever felt good to us...

Yoga Girl didn't amuse me as much as Whole Foods Parking Lot but it did amuse...

Keep Your Eye on the Kettlebell

Pain is temporary -- wish that Mike had said that at the beginning of class. Mike also had on a t-shirt that said: pain is weakness leaving the body. Yeahyeahyeah...

We did calisthenics and lots of stretches before getting to swing. And how long does it take to feel the pain? Just one short minute.

Kettlebell Swing, 30 Seconds
Jumping Jacks, 30 "
Right Arm Swing, 30 Seconds
Mountain Climbers, 30 "
Left Arm Swing, 30 Seconds
Criss Cross Jumping Jacks, 30 "

At some point we did planks to push-ups and regular push-ups in between swings but I've tried to put that out of my mind because it kinda hurt.

Next, we did a lunge while pulsing the back leg and moving the kettlebell from one side of the front leg to the other. We also did a curtsy situation with the kettlebell and the side lunge was saved for last.

After lunging around, we got to incorporate more lunging when Mike asked the people who knew the Turkish Get-Up to stay put and do them while the rest of us went off to learn the TGU. I was introduced to the TGU at CrossFit but it was during basic training and I haven't done it since...

Mike demonstrated first then five of us worked on getting up. The one and only guy in the class, poor thing, has big challenges with coordination -- even bigger than me.

We worked on the TGU without the kettlebell first. Next, Mike told us to take a shoe off and we practiced with our shoe which was a pretty cool exercise because you had to move carefully to keep your shoe balanced on your hand. Practicing with a dumbbell was next. By the end of class, I felt like I had a pretty good grasp of how to do the Turkish Get-Up. I'll have to start practicing at home so that I don't forget.

Oh yeah, Mike told us not to just grab the kettlebell but to roll to it, cradle it then lift it up. He also said that you want to keep your eye on the kettlebell. Is that like keeping your eye on the prize?





Things That I Need to Remember:

The leg that's bent is the leg on the same side as the kettlebell.

Take it to the bridge i.e. your leg can't go through if you don't lift your bootie.

Remember the way that I came i.e. the moves are exactly the same but in reverse.


P.S. Thanks to my classmates who were keeping an eye on me and offering tips while we were doing that curtsy situation...

Losing Track of Time

No wonder Whitney asked how long we usually climb. Glanced at the clock and couldn't believe that we had been at the gym for three hours. Not sure what time was spent yakking and what time was spent climbing. It was probably half and half. Patti and I had not seen Mike and Leah since October so I guess there was catching up to do.

I thought about what I could have been doing but we're all busy and we all have stuff to do. We exercised and enjoyed ourselves -- definitely worthy pursuits.

Whitney getting her stretch on or either showing respect for the wall before ascending. Whitney hadn't climbed in five years but she did great. Climbing must be like bicycling...

Even though Leah (lead) and I (top rope) started out ascending together and joked about synchronized climbing, I think she was surprised when I called her name or maybe she was surprised that I had my camera in my hand.

Mike tackled this 5.10 route and is at the crux.

Patti, who is in orange and belaying for me, wanted to know if I was showing off since I paused to play photographer. For some reason, I like to take pictures when I'm perched near the top of the route; guess I like the view.

Sexxi Drea or Best of the Blogger Stats

Every now and then, the Blogger stats make me laugh. A sampling of recent searches that brought people to my blog:

wild drea

bully t shirt

drea hard

i'm to tense when swimming front crawl

blogspot old lady sexy

black boulderers

sexxi drea

i'm a tart t-shirt

"peed on jessica"

how can i motivate myself to get rid of my clutter

*Indeed, how can I motivate myself to get rid of clutter?

These shoes are toast. The toe box has a little window and the rand is coming apart. I climbed in them for almost two years and I've gotten my money's worth. They smell and they're dirty so why can't I part with them?