Sunday, January 9, 2011

Cheating on Running




Hello my friends. 

I'm hoping all of your weekends are being filled with great things so far.  It's been a good one here. 

Yesterday, as I noted, I was excited to wake up and a new class at the gym.  One of my resolutions this year is to be more open to change, especially with fitness.  Yes, running is my number one, but I always find myself getting so engulfed in it, that I begin to overlook other essential forms of exercise.  Truthfully, I start to focus on another workout, I feel as though I'm cheating on running and I'm never really getting the same effectiveness as I could have been if I spent the time on a run.  

I know I need to break this way of thinking and I've been doing a good job with exploring other incredible fitness avenues.  I even went as far as obtaining my Primary Fitness Instructor Certification back in October and I've been taking new classes this year, like Body Pump, Kick Boxing, Yoga, etc. 

Aside from all of the classes I've taken, and all of the workouts I've completed, there was still one class that I ALWAYS avoided and purely out of intimidation.  This class was Spin. 

I'm not sure why it scared me, I heard so many people rave about it, but I've never really like the bike in general.  I think the reason it scared me was because I thought it wouldn't be a good workout. I imagined an hour of mindless peddling and not leaving with anything but a sore behind. 

So yesterday, I finally swallowed my narrow minded thinking and ventured to a spin class. 

I got to the class, found a bike, looked a little silly trying to situation myself and waited for the instructor. After 20 min of waiting, it was clear that the instructor was not going to show and I was extremely close to getting off and moving over to the treadmill, but something inside me told me not to give in.  One of the girls came in and popped in a CD, turned off the lights, and said we were free to do our own thing.  I figured, why not, I'll give it a few minutes. 

I started peddling to the music and then found myself peddling harder, faster, passionately.  The music was so invigorating, the atmosphere was electrifying.  I couldn't stop.  

I spent an hour spinning, doing my own thing, not really knowing if I was doing it correctly but I didn't care.  And you know what, when I was done, I was dripping in sweat and felt more exhausted than I had with any run I've done in the past 3 months.  It was great! 

I'm excited to go back and try a real class.  I can't tell you guys how close I was to bagging the whole thing yesterday, but something told me to live boldly!  Do something I'm not comfortable with and prove that I'm capable of finding enjoyment in the intimidation.  So spin class, I'll be back! 

Before I hit up the gym yesterday, I made a bowl of pumpkin oats. 

1/4 Cup Scottish Oats, 2 TBL Multigrain Hot Cereal, 1/4 Cup Pumpkin
Topped with Peanut Butter, Blackberries, Vanilla Chobani, Granola 


After 2 hours at the gym, I came home, showered and couldn't wait another minute for lunch.  All of that spinning left me ravenous!

I heated up a can of Amy's Minestrone and added a can of green beans.
 Along with a carrot and some peanut butter and grapes.

Toly and I had a bunch of errand to run yesterday afternoon which led us right into dinner.

We went to one of our favorite spots, Brewhouse Grille.

The specials are what always drawl us in an tonight, the specials were right on so we split two of them.

Shrimp Flatbread- Spicy Tomato Sauce, Sauteed Shrimp, Roasted Red Pepper, Caramelized Onion, Avocado and Feta

Bahama Breeze Crab Salad- Jumbo lump crab, mango, strawberries, roasted pecans, goat cheese, tomatoes with an orange poppyseed vinaigrette



Everything was delicious!  

After dinner, we went to see Black Swan.  I somehow convinced Toly to see this even though I really didn't have a desire to see it until after I read the reviews.  Everyone couldn't stop talking about this psychological thriller and how it left you in a mind blowing state.  

My opinion- I can't say I "liked" it, it's not really a movie you leave saying you like. I was definitely speechless and I wanted to analyze more, but I couldn't really begin at a specific part.  The entire movie is one big psycho analysis.  I do say that Natalie Portman was brilliant, as usual.  

Okay, time to start the day! 

See you later. 

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7 comments:

  1. Oh no! I can't believe the instructor didn't show up :( But good for you for rocking the workout anyways. I think mixing other activities in with my running actually makes me a better runner. I feel more dedicated to the run on the days I do run. What a great dinner you and the man had. The flat bread look perfect. I've been intrigued by black swan but haven't gone to see it yet. Thanks for the review

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  2. I've heard those kind of reviews of that movie and it makes me hesitant to see it.

    Glad you liked spinning! I have yet to do it too.

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  3. "Live boldly" - Love it!

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  4. Oh wow! I can't believe the instructor didn't show after such a build up of anticipation. Good for you for sticking with it and trying it out! Trying something new and discovering how you like it is what life is all about!

    That crab salad looks great!

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  5. that crab salad looks so good! So does the shrimp flatbread :-)

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  6. Definitely go back and give a spin class a shot. I was a runner for 10+ years and refused to do anything but run. After a few injuries I decided to give cycling a shot and then decided to do spin classes to get me through the winter months. I can honestly say spinning keeps me in better shape than running ever did...and I was running marathons! So I'm going to guess you're going to love the actual class :) Have fun!

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  7. I am the same way- I always feel like running is "real" exercise-and I was too intimidated to try spin. I started going 2 weeks ago, and I'm totally hooked-what a great workout! wait until you go to the real class!

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