My two-year old daughter is a constant source of energy. She is “go, go, go” every minute and every hour while she is awake. So when Dave invited us to try out the Children’s Zumba class, which meets every Wednesday at CORE Fitness Los Gatos from 3:30 pm to 4:00 pm, I said why not…anything to wear out my “terminator” baby.
The Children’s Zumba class is currently set up for children ages 4 years and up. As I said, my daughter is only two, so I wasn’t sure how she would manage or pay attention. The class is set up so that only the children do the routine, but given Ava’s age, I had to do the class with her.
Well….we both loved it! My daughter had a blast dancing with all of the other kids – she loves hanging with the “older” crowd. And I had a great workout. I was sweating within the first 10 minutes of dance. Because my little one couldn’t jump up as high as some of the other kids, when the other kids would jump, I would have to lift her, which gave my biceps some work and brought fits of giggles from my daughter. So overall the class was a success for us both.
Zumba was a great way to multitask workout and playtime with my daughter. She laughed and had a good time being in the class with the older kids. The class gave her the chance to interact with other children, because “ensuring that your baby spends lots of time in the company of other adults and babies can set a foundation for him feeling comfortable when it comes to interacting with others….” Nurturing your child’s friendships
Lastly, the class wore out my two-year old, so that we had a “quieter” evening at home that night and I could get some things done that are usually placed on hold because I’m entertaining her for the evening.
If you are interested in checking out the class with your child under 4 years of age, talk to Dave first before you show up. Maybe, if there are enough of us with kids under 4 who are interested, there can be a special Baby Zumba set up at CORE.
June 25th, 2010 in
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Ever since the “Spring into Shape Challenge” at CORE Fitness Los Gatos ended – and I lost – I’ve been trying to figure out a topic on which to write, well that topic came to me via my birthday….yes, I’ve hit the big 4-oh!
It was a little bitter sweet. I’m not at all hung up on the fact that I turned forty, but what I find disappointing is the extra weight I’ve been carrying around since the birth of my first child in 2008. I was hoping to be back to my pre-baby weight by now.
On my birthday, I looked at my driver’s license picture, which was taken on my birthday in 2007, and saw that the weight on the DL said 116 lbs – I wasn’t lying. In fact, I think I was a tad bit thinner than the posted weight. Anyway. That means that I am carrying around 16 lbs – and there is no baby in my belly!!!!!
Now, the Spring into Shape Challenge got me back into a regular workout routine at CORE Fitness Los Gatos — which I am glad to say I have kept up – well not to the crazy extent of 2 or 3 classes a day, but I go in at least once a day. However, I can’t seem to shed the weight. I have finally caved and have to admit that I have to go on a diet!!! Ouch, I hate that word. But its true. I have to cut down on the calories. The cookies, the cake, the wine….
Three things have changed since I weighed 116 lbs: (1) I stopped working, (2) I had a baby and (3) I’m now 40.
I honestly thought that my metabolism must have plummeted simply because of my age, turns out that its only a minor factor. “Metabolism is based upon three different factors…The first factor is genetics…Number two is thyroid function…Women have much greater thyroid issues than men….The third factor … is muscle mass. In the 40s and beyond, “lifestyle changes rather dramatically and it’s sort of a keen grasp of the obvious that everyone’s sitting on their ass. So what’s happening is if you don’t use it, you lose it, and in your 40s you don’t just lose it, it melts.” See article http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56912
Regular exercise is also key to getting metabolism back on your side.
“The kind of physical activity that people are choosing to do in their 40s is nowhere near as intense as it’s supposed to be. So to get over that metabolic speed bump we ask for an increase in intensity on the part of these happy campers. What does that mean? Instead of walking on the flat, throw in some hills. Ramp up the resistance on your resistance training, or for that matter the resistance on a cross-trainer. It’s all the same.”
So, I guess I’m doing what I’m suppose to be doing, but I really have to amp it up, and cut back on the extra calories…I’m guessing that the pecan pie that I had with my ribs dinner last night isn’t on any diet plan. Oh, well.
It’s Over, Woo-Hoo.
I was absent for the last week because my family and I flew to Mexico to celebrate my brother’s wedding. Cancun was fabulous! No complaints about the vacation, but getting back into every day life was a challenge. It had been my intention to jump right back into my regular workout routine at CORE Fitness when I returned, but it didn’t go as planned. I got into San Jose a day late because we missed a connecting flight in Houston, and couldn’t fly out until Wednesday. With my double-down Wednesday workout out of the picture, I planned on making it to the new Little Black Dress class Thursday morning, but then my baby had other plans. With all the flying, the baby got very little sleep, so Thursday morning she crashed and slept until 11:00 am. So, the first day I could get back into group classes was Friday!
Friday, 8:30, Body Sculpt with Chris. I was soooo not looking forward to the class. Yes, after only being away for a week, I came down with a serious case of the lazys. Seriously – I just wanted to lay in bed. Somehow, I managed to drag myself and the baby to class. It was a rough start but by the mid-point of the class I was back in my groove. Well, I was back into my routine mentally, but my body was singing a different tune.
My intention was to go back for the 4:30 pm. Skinny Jeans class on Friday, but with the great weather my Friday afternoon social club has started up again – where I hang out with the neighborhood moms and have a glass of wine. So, I only earned two points after a long week of not being at CORE Fitness. Not that it mattered, because I knew when I left for Mexico, there was no way I was going to surpass Ms. C and her mountain of points. In fact, her stickers pour over into the line below her name…crazy, just crazy.
Saturday morning, I have to admit, I woke-up a little sore from the Friday morning workout…ahhh. But I couldn’t let that stop me, even though I knew I had no chance in hell winning the Spring into Shape Challenge, I just couldn’t go out like a chump. I got dressed and made it to the 9:30 am Body Pump class. My legs were really aching by the end of session, but I truly enjoyed the new music mix that Susanne brought to the class. I wanted to stay for the Flex-ability class at 10:30 am, but the baby had a birthday party to get to at 11:00 am – my muscles needed the stretch … sigh. So, I only earned 1 point this morning.
Now, what did I accomplish in the last 45 days…hmmm…I got into one pair of pre-pregnancy pants, so that’s good. I have some nice toned legs, which my husband has really noticed. But no 6-pack abs, oh, well.
In 45 days, I did 58 classes at CORE Fitness Los Gatos, it would have been more had I not taken the week off, but I’m really impressed with myself in hanging in there and accomplishing the task I put before me. Anyway, I’m gonna keep up my workouts, and I’m looking forward to my next challenge.
C-ya.
I have this contraption that I wear on my upper right arm that can read how many calories my body burns, so long as I am wearing it – it’s what the contestants wear on The Biggest Loser. Yeah, it sounds totally amazing and cool, but it’s kind of annoying to wear. I have an older model – way back when they were first introduced –so I don’t know if the newer model is more comfortable…anyway, the thing has been sitting in a drawer for a while (it really is a pain to wear all the time) and I decided that it would be awesome to know how many calories I am burning per workout, so I brought it with me to CORE Fitness Los Gatos this morning for the double-down workouts of Cardio Funk and Body Pump.
8:30 am Cardio Funk, I burned 341 calories…nice.
9:30 am Body Pump, I burned 198 calories…I thought it would be higher.
7:30 pm Pilates Reformer…I forgot to wear it, oops!
According to the device’s manufacturer, the device is 90% accurate. So this morning, I roughly burned 539 calories…Not bad for having fun.
Just remember that everyone is different and everyone burns a different amount of calories even if doing the same exercise, but I was surprised that I burned over 300 calories in Cardio Funk and only 198 calories in Body Pump.
I’m glad I wore the device today because it was a wake up call for me…I really need to do more cardio than I’ve been doing…if I want this muffin top to deflate, I need to do more cardio classes, and not just the weights…I should try Zumba, because those ladies really do move!
I was really tired this morning. It was a restless night and I woke up several times…BUT I was super-pumped to try the Kick-Boxing class that was being offered at CORE Fitness Los Gatos at 8:00 am, so when 7:00 am flashed on my alarm clock I got up without hesitation. I had pulled out my old boxing gloves from storage the night before and was anxious to throw some punches.
The regularly scheduled Body Combat class was replaced by Turbo Kicking Boxing, taught by guest instructor, Melissa. WOW! I knew it was going to be different from Body Combat by didn’t expect to be so out of breath. What a workout and what a great change in pace from Body Combat.
Melissa was an upbeat instructor and made the class fun. Her routine had a few dance moves like the 80’s Running Man, a laser light circle, something she called “house” which was a rump shaking pump, anyway, she made kickboxing fun. The only thing I was disappointed with was the fact that boxing gloves were not required for class…I showed up with my pink boxing gloves and they stayed in the bag the entire time…yes, I own a pair of pink boxing gloves and they are fierce!
Anyway, if this class every pops up again on the CORE schedule you should check it out.
9:30 am Body Pump at CORE Fitness Los Gatos this morning: I rushed to get to Susanne’s class because usually it’s like crazy packed. It’s one of the most popular classes at CORE…where did everyone go today? The class was still a good size, but nothing like it was last week. Oh, come on people, don’t give up on the Saturday morning workout…how do you think Jackie Warner got her great abs?
Below is what Warner has said about her great abs in a 2006 interview with Dayton Daily News (the site also has a picture of Warner’s sick abs)…Body Pump at CORE Fitness on Saturday mornings is all about weight-lifting:
Q: (DDN) How do you get those killer abs?
A: (Jackie Warner) I actually do not do crunches. This is one of my buzz phrases, “Crunches are a waste of time.”
Crunches are not going to get those abs. How you get those abs are actually lifting with a big muscle group such as chest, back, legs and butt. The more muscle that you have on your frame, the more fat you literally lose or shrink.
The only way to truly get shredded is to have a pretty balanced diet with a nice balance of cardio, but most
importantly, weight lifting.
Anyway, I’m using Warner’s photo and mantra, “Crunches are a waste of time” as my motivation to get to my workouts…I really want abs like hers…I can dream right?
Oh, and if you didn’t make it to the 9:30 am class today, you TOTALLY missed out because everyone in Body Pump this morning got to attend the new class FLEX-ABILITY for FREE! That’s right – for everyone who stayed for the second class – a Double-Down workout, as my friend Ali calls a back-to-back workout – FLEX-ABILITY was free. Sorry, but the freebee was announced during BP class.
FLEX-ABILITY was a great way to finish the “double-down” workout this morning. It really helped to strectch out the muscles with the combo Pilates, Yoga and Tai Chi that Susanne led us through.
Sometimes, after Body Pump, my upper shoulders are a little tense, but after FLEX today, I felt great. Taking the Flex class right after Body Pump is like an hour long, cool down, period where you give your muscles the attention they need after the hour of weight lifting, they were put through in Body Pump.
Oh, and Susanne reminded us that as we get older we lose flexibilty, and by participating in classes like Body Pump and Flex-Ability we help prevent future hip replacement by strenghting the muscles around the hip. Good to know. Thanks Susanne, for the tip.
I am tired!!!!! The end of my first week of doing back to back classes – well, except for yesterday and today.
Today, I did two classes today CORE Fitness Los Gatos : the 8:30 am Body Sculpt and 4:30 pm Skinny Jeans.
It has turned out that Thursday is my rest day, which is the reason I didn’t blog last night…nothing to report. I used to do a class in the evening but with my husband’s schedule it’s no longer possible. Anyway…I have back-to-back classes scheduled for tomorrow – the first day of “FLEX-ABILITY”: a whole hour of Pilates, Tai Chi, and Yoga. Love it! It will be a good class to follow Body Pump.
Well, its been THIRTY days since I’ve been working out like crazy! My body has definitely changed and my stomach is shrinking, and all through exercise alone. I have not been on a diet. I have eaten chocolate, pizza, hamburgers, ice cream (in fact I’m eating ice cream as I write this….yum, just took another spoon-full.) Anyway, although I ate this stuff I did it in moderation and I increased my exercise. Now, for the next 15 days (until the challenge ends) I will TRY to diet, i.e. no more junk food. Let’s see if changing my diet and keeping up with the workouts will make a bigger difference.
Oh, forgot to mention that Chris’ Skinny Jeans class was off-the-hook with working out the legs. Last week my legs were shaking after class, and tonight they are still sore. He had us using the exercise ball again, and I tell you, squeezing the ball while you have it between your legs, while you are on your back with your legs up is …. hard! I bet if I keep this up, my thighs will skrink. And, of course, we did the pliè for the inner thigh. Chris has really changed the focus of his 4:30 pm class and the new format is great. Bye-bye inner thigh bags.
I went to bed with a kink in my neck and woke up with it still there – it really bothers me, but that didn’t stop me from going to the 8:30 am Body Pump class and the 9:30 Body Combat class at CORE Fitness this morning.
I’m really getting use to these double workout days, and I like the fact that I get it all done in the morning – no more going back in the afternoon, well, not unless I have a scheduled Pilates Reformer session, which I do tonight.
Another thing about doing both of my workouts in the morning, is that I don’t have as much laundry! Before, I would have to change after the morning class, and then have a different workout outfit for the afternoon session — I don’t have an unlimited supply of sports bras, so I was always doing laundry. Now, the laundry is under control because I have 50% less workout clothes to launder. Which I guess in turn is better for the environment … I’m using less water, less detergent and less electricity…Mother Nature would be pleased, right?
There are several reasons why I enjoy my Pilates class, but one of the top reasons is that it helps me stretch my muscles, which helps with the kink in my neck…this is an on-going problem. I believe the kink in my neck is caused by constantly holding my daughter with my right arm on my right side…taking her out of the crib, lifting her into her booster seat, helping her into the car seat (I drive a small SUV), picking her up when she wants to be held…my right side is always engaged.
But Pilates is like magic…I walked into class tonight with the pain in my upper shoulder and neck and walked out with the pain gone. I haven’t figured out what exact exercise helps with eliminating the kink, I tired to pin it down tonight but by the time I realized the kink was gone, I had already completed several exercises.
I really should do more stretching on a day-to-day basis, which is why I’m excited that CORE Fitness is introducing a new class, “Flex-Ability” and from the class description, it looks like it’s going to be similar to the “Power Yoga” class we had when Judy substituted for Simone two weeks ago. Can’t wait!
I should schedule another massage at CORE Fitness Los Gatos. I think I will do that for this Friday. Another benefit of having a massage at CORE Fitness is that they have child care…I haven’t found another place in Los Gatos or San Jose that offers that service…its hard to schedule a massage when you have to find a babysitter….
April 28th, 2010 in
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9:30 am Cardio Dance with Geno at CORE Fitness Los Gatos…it was time to sweat! My first time at this class and I didn’t know what to expect, but it definitely wasn’t the amount of perspiration that soaked my shirt. I am glad that I went to the class because I desperately needed the cardio. Although I do several classes a week, I hardly get any cardio into my routine. So it was good to get moving and kick my legs up. Plus, Geno is a great instructor, so I didn’t feel totally lost on my first day. And, with this class, you don’t have to be in any particular physical shape in order to get something out of it…you just have to dance, dance, dance. Again, another class to help in my fantasy of being a professional dancer.
10:30 am Skinny Jeans with Barbara. Immediately after Cardio Dance, I went right into another legs workout. As you all know, this is one of my favorite classes. There’s a lot of mat Pilates techniques in this particular class, so there is no way you are leaving this class without working on your core muscles or legs.
If I continue with working out my legs like I did today, I will definitely have the pair of dancer legs that I’ve dreamt of…fingers crossed.
Today begins my “double-down” workouts…meaning, if there are back-to-back morning classes that I am interested in doing at CORE Fitness Los Gatos, I will have to do them. As I’ve mentioned, my husband can no longer be home for me to take either a 5:30 pm class or a 6:30 pm class, and I can’t take the baby in because it conflicts with her 6:30 pm sleep time, so I’m forced to take the morning classes, if I want to get two workouts in that I enjoy.
8:30 am Cardio Funk with Jessalyn, I L-O-V-E love it! This is the second time I’ve participated in the class, and I feel like I’ve been to a dance audition…which totally plays into my fantasies of being a professional dancer, even though I am totally aware that that boat has long since sailed on that dream. Anyway, it’s still fun to pretend to be something you are not, even if it is for an hour – nobody gets hurt…right? Kids play “make believe” all the time, and look how happy and carefree their lives seem to be. So, if I can indulge in a little alter ego, so be it…oh, and I get to dance my way to a smaller size…sweet.
9:30 am Body Pump with Betsy. “I think I can, I think I can.” Today’s routine of going from cardio into weights was the opposite from last Wednesday’s schedule of Body Pump and then cardio (Body Combat). Wasn’t too sure about the transition. So after checking in on the baby at the child care (always on poopy duty, right?), and finding her to be in good hands, I started Body Pump. After the warm-up and finishing up with squats, my mantra changed from “I think…”, to “I know I can do this.” Although my quads were a little sore (Jessalyn really worked them in Cardio Funk), I knew that mentally I could finish up with Body Pump, which is half the battle.
The way I get through an exercise is to know how long I have to keep going. For example, if I am tired, it is better for me to know how many more reps I have to do than to continue without knowing the count, or if there are no reps, then I need look at the clock to know how far into the hour workout I’m in. So today with Body Pump, because I know that I only have to work out a particular muscle for only the length of a song, I was able to stay focus and my determination finish didn’t falter….Does that make sense? A friend of mine who runs marathons once told me that to keep his mind busy for the long run, he would “read a book” (basically recall a book from beginning to end) in his head to keep his mind busy, because if he focused on how far he had to run (26 miles), running became a lot harder. I guess that is how I feel when I work out and don’t know the routine…because if I feel like I am in hell for eternity, I will certainly want to throw in the towel. In some classes, you can hear the instructor shout, “Don’t look at the clock, it will only make it worse,” I ignore it. Because for me, knowing how much longer I have to keep pushing my body, the easier it is for me to push through…I just need to know.
7:30 pm, Pilates Reformer at CORE Fitness Los Gatos… Plié [plee-AY] with one foot on the stationary foot bar and one on the sliding carriage…are you kidding me?…ahh, my legs are still in shock. Sometimes during Pilates, I feel graceful, as though I’m a member of Cirque du Soleil, but tonight, during the sliding Plié, I felt like I was doing a slow version of MC Hammer’s dance, you know the one…You Can’t Touch This. What a workout….now where did I store my Hammer pants?…kidding.