10 posts tagged “workout”

Just what in the hell is going on?!?

I DID THE BODY SPIRAL Correction: I did the FLYING BODY SPIRAL!! (a spin with your back to the pole) Several times even. Started bad but got better each time I tried it. The last one was all-the-way correct. Woot!! Nicole was pissed that she didn't get it on video! I'm soooo happy! For me, the "trick" is to go into it without thinking about it. It helps if I'm talking about something else at the time and do it without warning. Woot - WOOT - W00T!!

Also did better on the "pole crunch" (aka: corkscrew) - though I have a long way to go on that. Not so good on the V spins tonight but that's cause I was mostly trying to do them with the "proper" hand grip (one high, one low), which is not my preferred method.

And I learned some kind of advanced version of a spin that I don't know the name of - so we'll call it the fall forward high leg hook. I couldn't do that move because I had shorts on and my skin was sticking to the pole - so I did the "harder" hold of sticking to the pole on purpose (easy for me because I have so much skin to stick), one leg behind the pole, and doing a partial invert thing. I don't know how to describe it. But I did it... kinda... so that was great.

I think that getting the "flamingo" spin a few weeks ago (on the first try) was a pivotal moment for me. Suddenly everything else became possible too. Cool, huh?

Nicole agreed to try meeting at 8p Tuesdays for awhile to see how that works out for both of us.

When I got to my car, I could hear the waves crashing so I knew that the tide was really high (I park in a beach lot but rarely hear the waves). In a good mood, I took a leisurely drive home. First I stopped at a little gourmet grocery store I've been wanting to check out in Balboa (a couple blocks from the workout studio). I LOVED the place - bought some gourmet salsas, sandwiches, and salads. I plan to go back for fancy mustards, jams, specialty drinks and whatever else they have. It was a bit pricey but reasonable for the quality & uniqueness. Plus the staff (just one guy when I was there) was fantastic. Really friendly and helpful. They have another, larger, store not too far away so I'll be checking that out too.

I drove the long/scenic route home along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). What a great choice! I could see & smell beach bonfires, which I love. I hit a long stretch of highway with no street lights and was mesmerized by the view: The ocean blending into the sky (no moon tonight) - so lights on the water and stars in the sky all looked the same. It was be-ooootiful!

In Sunset Beach, at the place I rented a kayak (a couple months back), the tide was so high that it was flooding part of PCH. I liked that (I like water)... often heard of it but only the 2nd time I've witnessed it.

I drove home thinking about all kinds of things that I like (water - rain, oceans, pools, jacuzzis; gourmet mustards; gourmet jams; stuff made of colored glass - particularly green, blue, or dark red; uber-tacky souvenirs; anything deco, wind chimes... ). All very positive & zen of me.

Seriously, WHO IS THIS PERSON and what have they done with LeendaDLL?

I think that makes 3 good workouts in a row! I'm really freaked out to find myself no longer wondering if I can possibly manage the energy to attend 2 classes a week, but if I can manage the cost of attending 3. Woo-hoo... but who is this person?? I credit the cymbalta (pain, mood & energy improvements), tylenol (knee pain nearly eliminated), golf gloves (massively improved pole grip), and private instruction (lots of technical tips that are allowing my right brain to figure out how to do the stuff I want).

Despite staying home sick today, whatever was making me feel icky passed by about 5pm so I was able to meet with Nicole at 8.

Nicole was envious of the moves LeAnne taught me: The Flamingo (which I taught to her) - a modified back hook spin that greatly improves my form and control; the V-split (aka: ronde de jambe); and getting my left leg to MOVE when trying to climb (note: still only trying to climb - not achieving).

But that ended up being nicely balanced by Nicole getting me to V-spin a whole bunch of times (I've managed a max of 3 for LeAnne; did closer to 20 or 30 tonight), a better option for working up to the "corkscrew" (which I call a pole crunch), a better way to learn the "body spiral" (I'm still miles from achieving it - too much ass in the way), and she invented the beginning of a nice routine for me. I'm documenting it here so I can remember it later: Walk to pole, body waves, walk around pole, v-spin, modified back-hook (set outside foot down before spinning!!), step/turn/switch hands (need to add some sass/flair!), front hook (aka firefly) with straight leg to floor, random floor work...

I was a sweaty pig by the time I left which is good cause, despite the humidity, it means I got a lot of exercise. Wisely, I brought ALL of my left-hand workout gloves (I'm right handed but pole left handed) so I was able to switch them up when they got sweaty. That was a great idea and proved that the golf gloves are the best option so I'm gonna buy extras this weekend (I love that you only buy golf gloves as singles, and lefts are the most common).

LeAnne is on vacation this week so I'm working out with Nicole again on Thurs night. And almost forgot - appt with the orthopedic specialist, about my knee, at 1:30 tomorrow.

Emotional/mental stability has finally returned (aka: PMS has left - and I'm now 90% certain I'm going back on the Depo just to avoid going through that again).

My 2-hr private pole class with Yannori went really, really well! I got some good practice exercises and a great technique for doing a GRACEFUL on-pole leg switch which, just maybe, will lead to me being able to climb on a regular basis. That would be "teh awesum". She also taught me a really simple, but strength-building (for me), transition she calls "the bounce". We did "hook", forward, and reverse spins and were able to work well together to figure out my screw ups and modifications that work well for me. I slipped a few times, causing me to land the moves wrong (on the side of my foot) and now have a super annoying bruise just below my big toe, right over the bone (Ouchie!). But, otherwise, am no worse for the wear.

We also did a bunch of other stuff that, with luck, will come back to me later cause I can't remember any of it now. It was an EXPENSIVE session but money well spent. I really got a lot of good out of it. Yannori is an impressive instructor and I hope I can see her again soon. (many thanks to Fachowna for introducing me to her!)

After Yannori, I headed off to get a pedicure, couldn't decide what I wanted, and ended up having pink nails with white polka dots. I know the dots tend to come off faster than regular designs (cause they do them with hobby paint instead of nail polish) - but what the heck, they're fun:

Since I'm out of coffee, I decided to head to Trader Joe's - where I found my missing frozen jasmine rice (HURRAY!!) and, no longer being pissed that they're out of everything I love, went on a shopping spree (only 1 bag). I've been craving pasta with thai peanut sauce for over a week so, of course, I ended up with 3 bowls of frozen thai pasta, a jar of thai peanut sauce, and peanut butter - despite knowing that I can no longer tolerate PB (OH WELL). Right now, I'm using all my will power resisting the urge to eat both pkgs of buffalo chicken pinwheel sandwiches (soooo YUM).

At home, I let the cats out front for a bit - despite the fact that Boo's 3 days of SCREAMING at me means she really didn't deserve it. Last night she pulled an attitude with ME on the bed, not happy that my arm was too close to her, and found herself thrown on the floor (my patience was ZERO). Damn, she tries my nerves. (the other two are pure sweetness.) My hope was that some front-yard time would mellow her out but no such luck - she already resumed the random annoying crying.

By the end of outdoor play time, it was early evening so I started some more laundry, went out back to water plants, and found the first ripe blueberries of the season!! Seems kind of early but everything seems like it's blooming early, so maybe it's me that's out of sync:

I really should do the vacuuming now but.. meh... who, but me and the kitties, is gonna notice? And it's so much easier to be a veg in front of the computer & TV. (I'm REALLY tired.)

Does tomorrow HAVE to be Monday? I'm sooo not in the mood for everything that comes with that. How annoying that I'm already stressing about it so it's invading my Sun night too.

I'll pay you $1 to put fresh linens on my bed for me. Kthx?

First, thanks to wildly inaccurate time estimations, I ran 9 hrs worth of test tables in under 2 hours. Yeaaaa!! This compensated nicely for my first total brain fart night (Wed) when I ran 2 hrs worth of tests in 4 hrs because I kept f-ing them up over & over & over - and the same f ups every time. I swear, I was down by a good 50 IQ points. I had to give up testing and just go home.

Anyhooo...
I missed Carlos' going away party tonight (technically, it was Carlos, Melvin & Scott's going away party) because of workout. But Carlos will in the office for 2 more days and I said I'd wear my stripper shoes on Fri. And I will - at least for a little while.

Workout went really well tonight. I definitely prefer when (rather than teaching me a routine and doing it with me, over & over) Nicole shows me a move, then watches as I repeat it several times, pointing out what's good/bad. An observer, who provides "here's what you're f-ing up and how to improve it" critique, is what I crave the most - because it's what's lacking the most at S Factor.

I took a lot of breaks tonight so I didn't end up exhausted (or whatever the hell happened last week) but I still feel that I did a good workout and, more importantly, learned a lot! Tonight I did some climbing (my Left leg moved!!), controlled slides, forward spins, backward spins, and "flying" (spins with no legs on the pole) and really felt good about most of them. And I did them all without my gloves - just my hands on the pole. That's big - I'm usually too slip/slidy to pole bare handed (feels like an inch of butter between the pole and my fingers). Since the spins are progressing nicely, I've decided it's time for an additional focus: I'm aware that when I spin I usually look like I'm in pain (cause I am, or I'm concentrating so much on not falling) - which is not exactly sexy. So I want to have Nicole start paying attention to my head position, eye contact with the "audience", and reminding me to SMILE.

On the way home, I didn't stop at 7/11 to see Brohat. I thought it would send the wrong message (interest in him - when all I'm actually interested in is the positive attention / ego boost).

I hope some of you made it to $0.31 scoop night at BaskinRobbins tonight. The line at mine was still gawd-awful at 9:30p - including multiple cars double-parked on the street while their owners stood in a line that looked over a hour long (doesn't BR close at 10p??).

I just finished my dinner (yes, at 10:30pm) - a big packaged salad (mexican fiesta flavor) with some chopped up chicken breast. Nummers! I'm craving some dessert but not gonna have it because sugars make me crave starches and I'll just end up eating even more.

I need to go deal with Boo (who is ultra-pissed about not being let outside tonight) and with the fact that I'm experiencing one of my post-workout major body temp drops (I'm guessing my temp is currently in the high 96s and will bottom out in the low 96s if I don't get some more clothing on ASAP). Have a good night, or morning, everyone!

First and foremost: NOT AT ALL a workout DVD. It's more of a 1:1 introduction to performing burlesque. If you're looking for a workout, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a burlesque routine that you can memorize, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a slightly amateurish (but it works) workshop/demo on all things related to burlesque - how to make & alter costumes, how to pose, how to walk, how to bump & grind, how to develop a character/act, HOW TO TWIRL PASTIES!! (several variations even! in the extras - worth the price right there!) - then you've found what you need.

I appreciate that Princess Farhana is not a petite, size 2, gym bunny. She's a real woman with real curves - who knows how to work her look, and a crowd, to her advantage! I happened to see her live, late in 2007 (Margaret Cho's show), and though smaller than in the video she was still a "real woman" (size 10/12?). The video also includes snippets of many other burlesque performers, showing the wide range of body types and performance styles... truly showing that, with practice, anyone can pull off this style of performing.

Princess Farhana demos various moves (starting poses, ending poses, walking off stage, posing for your body's best look, teasing the audience, how to hold & work a boa, accessory removal, clothing removal, moving during the routine), all with variations, but there is no CarmenElectra-esque "oneTWOthreeFOUR" routine and practice. She simply shows the moves - it's up the viewer to practice and combine them into a routine. But the instruction is thorough and real-world-practical (be careful when tossing clothing that is heavily beaded or the beads may break off; if you use velco fasteners, make sure you never allow the clothing to come near your legs or you can be sure the velco is going to snag your stockings; replace traditional bra hooks with coat/pant hooks - they're easier to locate and unhook; etc.).

At the end of the chapters, Princess Farhana combines a variety of moves into what must have been, at that time (2005), her standard/trademark routine - showing them both as a basic run through and then, again, as footage from a live performance.

While this isn't something I'm likely to watch more than a couple times, I thought it was a great "insider tips" reference guide - and appreciate that it includes lots of links to websites, books, and additional resources. I will definitely refer back to this DVD when I want to fry somebody's brain with a sexy, yet campy, performance.

Summary:
As a workout vid: NO WAY
As a fun "insider's tips & tricks" guide to performing burlesque: A+

...Garbage, "Bad Boyfriend".
Congratulations (but no prize, cause I'm cheap that way) to DatingLA for recommending I give another listen to Garbage. I actually had Black Light Burns, "Lie", and Concrete Blonde, "Jesus Forgive Me", also loaded on the playlist but let Megan (instructor) pick one without telling me which it would be.

Thanks to everyone for playings. Music recommendations are always appreciated... fast, slow, angry, soft... anything that you think would be good for what I describe as "interpretive erotic dance".

Workout was a little strange last night. I was way more tired than I expected - a combo of the weekend work & having totally forgotten that I'm having a bout of asthmatic bronchitis again (so much so that taking a shower left me out of breath) and need to be taking meds regularly instead of only when I notice a bad episode. The sciatica, only on the right side, is making a lot of the pilates warmup a total bitch. I can do moves one direction but when I try to reverse, it's like someone is stabbing knife into me. MUST see the chiro this week!

I tried to do pole practice but ended up sitting out most of it - I had no strength and no matter what move I tried, my feet refused to leave the ground.

One of 2 drop-in students, who usually goes to the LA studio, was AMAZING. By far the best pole work I've ever seen - including instructors - and she was completely fluid in blending it with floor & wall work. I got the feeling that LA is much better at teaching techique & power... but maybe she's also just one of the exceptional students. I felt really privileged to get to see her freestyle.

My dance was a bit of hit & miss. My long petticoat skirt was itchy and annoying but I was told that it looked good and that I stripped it off "very smoothly" (it didn't feel that way to me). Otherwise, I was sort of in & out of "the moment"... sometimes really flowing with the music, other times being very "removed" from the music and aware of my surroundings and what I was doing. Afterward, I was gasping for air - and it dawned on me that in addition to the asthma/bronchitis, I may not be remembering to breath normally while I dance. I'm gonna as Megan to scream "BREATHE" at me next time and see if that helps.

After class, I went home, scarfed lots of very bad food, and pretty much passed out. I'm still exhausted today - slept in way past my alarm clocks and, 3 hrs later, am still having a hard time staying awake.

Our next assignment is Pajama Party, or something like that. I think I'm going to layer flannel PJs over something skimpy and dance to Aerosmith's "Rag Doll" - though I'm not sure about that yet.

Sure Happy It's Tuesday

Sooo looking forward to the new bed. I guess I slept like crap again because I couldn't wake up this morning. I went through an hour of snooze button, 1/2 hour of silence, then 3 snoozes on the 2nd alarm before finally convincing myself that I HAD to get out of bed... despite instincts to the contrary.

I got about 2 blocks from home before the mildly cool air hit me, caused my knees to start locking, and I realized I didn't have any pain pills with me. Then I walked into our sub-zero office (WTF is wrong with the heating system in here?!?) and locked up even further. I've asked around but can't find anyone willing to admit they've got pain meds at their desk. Maybe I'll get desperate and try some Tylenol - I'm pretty sure I'm not allergic to those.

Let's see... what else is going on... apparently a big lot of nothing.

I got a fair amount of errands run yesterday. Verified that a Target gift card was still good (I bought it several years ago), so I can give it to my postal carrier. I made it out of the store for $40 - which is actually not bad for a "don't go shopping" trip to Target. Damn their sales!! (I hope to resume my boycott in Jan)

While buying a 50cent outlet coverplate at HomeDepot, I found a 2-pack of camel-colored microsuede, high-back, armless, chairs for $99. I couldn't stop thinking about them and eventually decided they'd be great for my bedroom - to replace the POS, totally shredded, chair that's in there now. Then I remembered that I still have about $70 in HomeDepot gift cards... HURRAH!! I went back for the chairs but the store was already closed. I'll probably get them tomorrow or Wednesday.

And I have a set of really cute mission chairs on hold at JPC Online (can't upload a pic - Vox is telling me everything is "cannot accept this file"). Orig $499 each, now $199 each... which seems like a much more appropriate price. I really don't need to be spending more money but I can't stop thinking of how much those chairs seem perfect for my living room - and would mean another POS chair (TOTALLY shredded by the cats - but that's what it's there for) could be tossed. If I then give away my china cabinet, I could move the sofa into the dining room (future bar/cafe), replace the POS end-table, give the mission rocking chair some room and, just maybe, have a living room that's comfy and, dare I say it, adult-ish. Ooooh.

Update: DAMNIT... that purchase is off. Shipping on TWO chairs was $148. Plus another $33 for taxes. F that!!

I have workout tonight - final class of this session and the year. I've been freaking about it since last week - when our instructor told us she's going to duplicate our moves to get a better understanding of our experience. This has caused me to realize that I don't mind being watched, I don't mind making a fool of myself, but I have some hardcore negative issues related to being mimicked - even if I know it's not for ridicule.

I also spent nearly 3 days stressing about what to wear to class. Normally I don't care in the slightest - but knowing it's the last class, and the holidays, and everyone else is probably going to go all out on their outfits, and about the duplication... all made me all hyper-conscious about wanting to look & feel good - despite the fact that neither is going to happen. I packed a totally retardo outfit last night. Came up with something better (more reds) this morning - but I'm still not happy with it. I'd like to run to a store and get some stockings or a cute tank or something - but there's no time. I'm probably gonna double up my anti-anxiety meds before class. I REALLY need to chill out... it's just an F-ing workout!! I know I'm going to suck. I know I'm going to be self-conscious - so much so that I may stop within a minute. But THAT'S OKAY. And if that's my biggest concern in life (it really isn't) then I'm a damn lucky woman.

Now where is that Tylenol??

Note: DVD shown at right is not the same as what's included with the Xpole. I'm guessing that the pictured DVD includes more moves - but it may not. While this link is to Amazon UK, the DVD can also be purchased directly through Vertical Leisure (I didn't pay attention to pricing so I don't know if there's a difference).

The first portion of the DVD, or at least the free one included with the X-Pole, is on assembly and installation of the pole - including how to make it spinning/stationary. It's a VERY handy demo! If you bought their pole, watch it.

The workout portion of the DVD included a simple but effective stretching warmup, 6 basic pole moves - including some minor variations on those moves, a couple standing pole transitions, and a floor-to-standing transition.

The DVD isn't the most professional as far as lighting and location - but I think that works in their favor because this is intended as a home workout instruction... and they demo in a home, instead of a studio. The moves are demonstrated VERY well - first by professional Katie Coates, then by her ultra-beginner friend, Jill.

It's nice to see Jill screw up - I'm glad they included that, as it provides excellent examples of what other beginners are likely to do incorrectly (without even realizing it) and how to correct common mistakes. Plus, it gives a real life example of how some tricks are just harder to learn. The result is that you don't feel like a complete doofus if you can't master the moves on the first try - or the next 20.

Katie does an awesome job explaining hand & body positions (both of which are essential to successful pole tricks),  breaking down moves into individual pieces, and repeating the moves a few times so viewers can get a good set of examples without getting completely bored.

The pace of the DVD is extremely slow, but that makes the X-Pole instructional DVD an awesome tool for its intended audience: extreme beginners - and those of us who've been doing pole dance classes for awhile but still need more practice.

A nice bonus at the end of the DVD: They ENCOURAGE copy and distribution to others.

I'm giving this a 60/40. Really good pilates workout. In typical pilates fashion, it looks easy and slow - but when you do it you really feel the effects. There are several moves that I didn't even try because, although they look simple enough, I knew they were waaaay beyond my body's limits.

However, I was really disappointed that it never made much effort to be STRIPilates. It was just pilates... with occasional 5 second shots of someone in stripper gear doing ultra-advanced versions of some of the moves.

While alternate options for some moves are presented, the stripper versions are not. There's no real discussion of how the moves can be incorporated into sexy-hotness. And the lighting used to make the video is so bright that it overrides any sensuality that might have been shown (lower, more "seductive" lighting would have a nicer choice).

Maybe when someone does the workout, they'll naturally feel how to make the movement sexy - or it will naturally feel sexy. I don't really know - because I was introduced to most of these moves in an environment that already focused on the sensuality.

As a workout, I'd consider talking this DVD into the office gym. However, I wouldn't feel entirely comfortable playing this DVD in front of coworkers due to it's use of bullet points such as "enhances sexual core". If it were the same moves, presented as regular pilates, it would be fine. But the bullet items, some of the comments, and the occassional stripper shot just seems like a bit much for coworker tolerance.

All in all... a good workout... just not as sensual as I had hoped. However, it is one of the VERY few I actually intend to use at home (especially as warm up when I get my stripper pole installed).

Workout went well - all the students said my freestyle was "REALLY good" or "really sensual". So that was nice. And it was despite me bonking my head into pole, really hard, because I didn't realize where I was (Megan, our instructor, was kinda happy cause it showed I was into the music and not my surroundings). Now I've got a lump over my right eye - in relatively the same spot where Moshi had his. (So maybe he was pole dancing while I was at work that day?!?!)

The studio was freakishly hot and the poles freakishly slippery. Even with my batting gloves on, I couldn't stick. Which I extra-emphasized at the end of my song, by leaping onto the pole for a 1-handed firefly, and quickly losing my grip and falling backward onto the floor. Sooooo sexy - lol. I quickly moved again so everyone would know I was okay.

Warmup was surprisingly hard. I kept running out of breath and having to stop (granted, I've never kept up with an entire warmup but this was different). It was during the routines - when I literally couldn't catch my breath after relatively slow moves - that I realized I'm probably having low-level asthma problems. Now I need to figure out if it's due to the weather, or stress, or something else - and whether or not I have an active scrip for an inhaler..

Battered, bruised, and exhausted I spent about 30 min after class just trying to feel normal. Then I bought wine coolers and spent the rest of the afternoon doing little more than trying to stay cool - the most complicated step of that being calculating the best combo of open windows/doors and near nudity (what's the bare min clothing required to lay motionless on the couch with the windows open, in a 1 story house, at an intersection, without grossing out innocent bystanders?).

In the continuing saga of Moshi:

He escaped again tonight. My washer/dryer are located in the garage so I have to go outside to do laundry. Moshi managed to open the bedroom door and run outside before I noticed. It looked like he might stick around but that didn't last long. I've been calling him for about an hour, also crinkling his "treat" food, but he hasn't returned. Considering that it's a full moon, and still extremely warm outside, I'll be surprised if he comes home before dawn. And not suprised if he has new injuries. I swear, he's trying to make me lose my mind. And he's doing a good job.

I hope all the US Voxers have a short week ahead. It's looking like I'll have to work on the 4th - but since I don't have any other plans, it's not a huge deal (though I feel totally different about it that day!). If I time it right, I can be on the 22 freeway (which is elevated) at 9pm and see all the various firework shows going on from Disneyland to Newport to Long Beach. Fireworks are illegal in Long Beach but I still might pick up some sparklers (in Costa Mesa, where they're legal)... ooooh, such a rebel!

Belated Happy Canada Day to the Canuck Voxers!

And early Happy Birthday to Kim on the 3rd; Spooktastic & the USA on the 4th.