I have worked out twice this week. On Tuesday it was a Zumba class and Wednesday it was cardio hip hop. I enjoyed both classes even though I often stumbled through the dance steps like an effeminate lush. I am glad my cohorts in this fitness journey did not laugh at me, especially Nicole who had a double dose of working out with me.
Tonight's class was full and brimming with diverse faces in terms of age, weight and race...... but not gender. After the sweat-inducing cardio segment, which had quite a bit of booty-shaking elements, the instructor had you choose a partner for some floor exercises. The items involved were a 7-pound medicine ball in your choice of red or yellow, and two floor mats. Our task with the medicine ball was to throw it to each other while seated on the mats with our feet touching. There was more to it than that but that was the main point of it. I must mention I was distracted by the weight of the ball.
My throws that lacked power (most of them) spurred Nicole to look at me incredulously and ask "Are you nervous or just afraid to really throw it?" Honestly I think I was having volleyball or softball flashbacks fearing that I would hit her in the head with it, knocking her unconscious, or it would bounce off her head and hit me in the face. I mean that has never happened in my life, but it could, right? I did become more comfortable with the exercise as time passed but I still threw the ball like the girly girl with limited athletic ability I am.
Our next floor exercise involved pushing down on your exercise partner's leg while she held her leg tight and resisted. I think I would need more arm strength for any partner I had to receive benefits from this exercise.
Thankfully my exercise partner was a good sport. I would have been quite uncomfortable if I had attended the class alone and had to select someone who was a stranger.
My experiences this week have persuaded me to purchase a group exercise pass at the Y for the dance-inspired classes and then attend the free classes offered by the Parks Department for the traditional strength/endurance/aerobic combo workouts.
February 25, 2009
February 22, 2009
Narrative about a Girls' Night Out
After a great meal and movie with a swell group of ladies, Nicole and I decided to check out two nightclubs. The first nightclub, Manhattan, featured old school and current R&B. Admission was free for the ladies before 11 p.m, which was great since the 2nd club we visited was $10 per person. We spent an hour or so at Manhattan.
The medium-sized crowd ranged in age from late 20s to 40s. Dress was casual, and there were more men than women. Most of the guys appeared to be sporting oversized Roca Wear or a similar line. The women were wearing everything from jeans to dressy pants and tops. Guess who the best dressed woman in Manhattan was? One guess.
The next club we visited was Oxygen. Oxygen is in a strip mall near an overpass. The outside was a tad ominous because there is limited light. Nicole and I wondered about the demographics of the club. Specifically, I was worried about the likelihood of us getting shot. This was the same club where the disturbance involving the Colts player occurred.
Nicole thought it might be a good idea to ask the young man half-heartedly directing the parking lot traffic what it was like inside and whether he thought we'd like it. He informed her that the club played "young people music". We decided to ignore his veiled opinion that we were not young (whatever!) and go in anyway. Once we got inside, we saw there were people in our age range, and there was the added excitement of a potential suitor offering one of us his business card.
Oxygen had a larger dance floor than Manhattan but few people danced. It was more of a "get your drink on", "stand around and look cool" kind of joint. Plus the music was a hardcore hip hop/rap mixture that I did not like. I did recognize a co-worker at the club, who looked quite different than she had earlier at work...not just her clothes, but her hairstyle as well.
Since I had on my work clothes, seeing her made me feel like I should have dressed in my nightlife wardrobe, which I would have done if I had a nightlife wardrobe. Still, even with that said, it was nice to be able to visit some new places.
The medium-sized crowd ranged in age from late 20s to 40s. Dress was casual, and there were more men than women. Most of the guys appeared to be sporting oversized Roca Wear or a similar line. The women were wearing everything from jeans to dressy pants and tops. Guess who the best dressed woman in Manhattan was? One guess.
The next club we visited was Oxygen. Oxygen is in a strip mall near an overpass. The outside was a tad ominous because there is limited light. Nicole and I wondered about the demographics of the club. Specifically, I was worried about the likelihood of us getting shot. This was the same club where the disturbance involving the Colts player occurred.
Nicole thought it might be a good idea to ask the young man half-heartedly directing the parking lot traffic what it was like inside and whether he thought we'd like it. He informed her that the club played "young people music". We decided to ignore his veiled opinion that we were not young (whatever!) and go in anyway. Once we got inside, we saw there were people in our age range, and there was the added excitement of a potential suitor offering one of us his business card.
Oxygen had a larger dance floor than Manhattan but few people danced. It was more of a "get your drink on", "stand around and look cool" kind of joint. Plus the music was a hardcore hip hop/rap mixture that I did not like. I did recognize a co-worker at the club, who looked quite different than she had earlier at work...not just her clothes, but her hairstyle as well.
Since I had on my work clothes, seeing her made me feel like I should have dressed in my nightlife wardrobe, which I would have done if I had a nightlife wardrobe. Still, even with that said, it was nice to be able to visit some new places.
February 19, 2009
Commercials
Anyone who knows me knows that I have an interest in commercials. I've worked as an extra in a few and unsuccessfully auditioned for speaking parts in others. I should add I've been told I have a great speaking voice. It makes me effective at presentations and as a seminar speaker. The problem with commercials is that I am unable to become a "character" The only "character" I know how to be is me.
I was discussing commercials with my two of my friends. The one friend noted that she skips through all commercials, never watches them... not even during the Superbowl. I told her that there are some creative spots that are quite amusing. I decided to use this post to provide an example or two. The first spot was produced by two brothers who live in Batesville, Indiana. They entered it in a contest and not only won a million dollars but also a national airing of the spot on Superbowl Sunday this year. It is not my favorite, but it features some out-of-the box thinking.
The commercials I like the best are for Geico and I'm not referring to the ones featuring the Gecko. Check this one out:
I also liked the Geico Caveman commercials until someone had the goofy idea to turn it into a TV series. What the hell were they thinking?
I was discussing commercials with my two of my friends. The one friend noted that she skips through all commercials, never watches them... not even during the Superbowl. I told her that there are some creative spots that are quite amusing. I decided to use this post to provide an example or two. The first spot was produced by two brothers who live in Batesville, Indiana. They entered it in a contest and not only won a million dollars but also a national airing of the spot on Superbowl Sunday this year. It is not my favorite, but it features some out-of-the box thinking.
The commercials I like the best are for Geico and I'm not referring to the ones featuring the Gecko. Check this one out:
I also liked the Geico Caveman commercials until someone had the goofy idea to turn it into a TV series. What the hell were they thinking?
February 11, 2009
Tale of the Unfit
Last year, I participated in one fitness class, and it was not one of my finest moments.
Given that, you would think my fitness attempt for 2009 would involve something low-intensity such as really slow mall walking, setting out the trash or raking the leaves that have been on my front porch since November. But no, I just had to go back to a class. This time I went to the YMCA w/Candace and Nicole (yes I'm using first names in this entry instead of my usual practice of intials. Hopefully they won't mind).
We ended up at a combo aerobic, strength endurance class with some yoga thrown in. Our instructor was fit, too fit. I took one look at her and knew I would not be able to keep up with her. Honestly, she looked like she has never eaten a candy bar or a whole pint of ice cream in her life. Had she been fit and model-like and youthful, I probably would have left the class before it even started. Thankfully, I did not have to.
Our class involved using accessories including weights, a mat and a really heavy pole (not the stripper kind). I chose the 2 lb weights, the lightest, which led the instructor to encourage me to use two at the same time whenever we were doing arm strenthening exercises.
I was better at completing the arm work than the leg work. I became tired quicky with the aerobics portion, but I tried to keep moving because A)I liked the music and B)Nicole was nearby and it appeared that with a few weeks of practice she could launch her own line of fitness DVDs. There is something to be said about being motivated by the positive actions of your pals.
So I made it through the class and have vowed to take others, preferably a hip hop cardio or urban line dancing class. I'm sure this will provide me with a lot of content for future posts as well as a need to purchase the ointment of the elderly, Ben-Gay.
Given that, you would think my fitness attempt for 2009 would involve something low-intensity such as really slow mall walking, setting out the trash or raking the leaves that have been on my front porch since November. But no, I just had to go back to a class. This time I went to the YMCA w/Candace and Nicole (yes I'm using first names in this entry instead of my usual practice of intials. Hopefully they won't mind).
We ended up at a combo aerobic, strength endurance class with some yoga thrown in. Our instructor was fit, too fit. I took one look at her and knew I would not be able to keep up with her. Honestly, she looked like she has never eaten a candy bar or a whole pint of ice cream in her life. Had she been fit and model-like and youthful, I probably would have left the class before it even started. Thankfully, I did not have to.
Our class involved using accessories including weights, a mat and a really heavy pole (not the stripper kind). I chose the 2 lb weights, the lightest, which led the instructor to encourage me to use two at the same time whenever we were doing arm strenthening exercises.
I was better at completing the arm work than the leg work. I became tired quicky with the aerobics portion, but I tried to keep moving because A)I liked the music and B)Nicole was nearby and it appeared that with a few weeks of practice she could launch her own line of fitness DVDs. There is something to be said about being motivated by the positive actions of your pals.
So I made it through the class and have vowed to take others, preferably a hip hop cardio or urban line dancing class. I'm sure this will provide me with a lot of content for future posts as well as a need to purchase the ointment of the elderly, Ben-Gay.
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