two firsts!

Happy beautiful summer day!!  I just went for a beautiful 2 mile walk around my condo complex while listening to the latest episode of the Strange Brews Podcast (I'm fan #130!) & now I'm taking a chill break on the couch with all my windows open, a mug of coffee (shut up, I drink coffee in hundred degree weather, today is nothing) & two incredibly snuggly kitties for a quick break before a Whole Foods run.

Shoutout to Reebok - I LOVE these new leggings!!

This morning I went to my very first ever Pound Fit class!  Ever since I heard about it I've been stoked to try it. I spent my formative years in marching band, jazz band, small group ensembles, etc. - playing every form of percussion instrument that existed. How could I NOT love a class that incorporated drum sticks into a loud, high-energy/intensity workout??  So when I heard that the fabulous Nancy G was going to be teaching Pound classes at Ken Jackson's, I signed up immediately.

The class was full of new people (like me), so we were warned that it was going to be a slower pace than usual - we filled out the 45 minute class two songs short of what Nancy told us would eventually constitute a "full" class - but it was still a fantastic workout. I hadn't read quite as much into the workout history, so I wasn't aware that it was so pilates-based and didn't realize how much core and lower body work would be involved - the songs that have you sitting on the mat doing a thousand torturous variations on the yoga boat pose were KILLERS, and I can feel all the squatting & lunging in the hip flexors/glutes/quads already.  I can't wait to take the class again & get it up to speed - I burned about 400 calories in the 45 minute class, but we took lots of breaks so that Nancy could explain poses, make sure we all knew what we were doing & that we all had correct form, so I think you could easily hit 600+ later on down the road.  I'm always looking for a core/strength type class that ups the energy and has a nice cardio element to it - call me a cheater, but I just get so bored doing traditional pilates.  Plus, DRUMMING!!

Not nearly as pretty as all the ones on google.......

My other first was something I've been hearing about EVERYWHERE for the past couple months, but living in the Midwest we just don't see them anywhere - acai bowls!!  The more I keep seeing pictures of these delicious creations, the more I've been craving them, so I took matters into my own hands.  I'll admit, I've never taste acai OR pitaya (the two - from what I can tell - most common bases to a smoothie bowl), so I really had no idea what to expect.  I did a little research and ended up snagging a couple packs of Sambazon original smoothie packs, hitting up the internet for topping tips (most especially this blog post over at The Fitnessista) and ended up blending mine with a banana & some almond milk, then topping with banana, blueberries, almonds, a little bit of granola, some goji berries and a drizzle of peanut butter & honey.  I accidentally added too much almond milk so my first bowl was a liiiiiiittle bit soupy, but it was so so so good that I forgave myself.  I can't wait to try a million different toppings - I was so leery about adding peanut butter for some reason, but there are few things in the world I love more than nut butters, so I talked myself into believing it would be good and damn, was it ever.  I feel a new late night post-gym obsession coming on......

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What's something new you've tried lately, & what inspired you to take the plunge?

communing with nature.......or something

I have a new obsession, and it's long walks through beautiful scenery. I try (as I've said before) to run, but I just can't find a way to truly enjoy it in a way that makes me want to do it for fun (aka not a race). But now that the Michigan chill has FINALLY broken, I want to spend every second outside forever.  

Tuesdays I usually go to an absolutely phenomenal hot vin yoga class, but this week the sun was shining, it was beautiful, and stuck in a dark, hot room at my gym for an hour was just not what I was feeling, so I headed out to Stony Creek for a nature walk instead!

This is the first year I've bought a park pass, so I'm determined to make the most of it and go as often as I can. I had heard they had gorgeous walking trails so I sought them out and intended to walk the 2.5 mile Habitat Trail, but when I finished I wasn't satisfied...so I tried to hop on the 1.5 mile Landscape trail, but apparently I'm not very good at signs because I ended up doubling back on myself twice and walking almost 5 miles...oh well; at least I made a nice dent in my huge backlogged list of podcasts. 

I'd also be remiss if I didn't point out that this was my first opportunity to try out my new BondiBand headband! A really fantastic store called GearBox Rx opened up in downtown Rochester Hills recently, selling CrossFit gear of all kinds, from shoes to apparel to hear & equipment, to my favorite part - a huge, huge selection of Paleo snacks from all over the internet. No longer do you have to submit to $8 shopping charges on one jar of almond butter or bottle of wing sauce, and no longer do you have to order a months supply of treats at once (at least if you live here). Plus the guys who run it are super knowledgable, personable, and assure me I will always be able to get my fix of Rickaroons from them (they also carry Steve's Paleo Goods, Nikki's Coconut Butter, PaleoTreats, Meenut Butter, Nohmad cookies/chocolates... Basically go there right now because everything delicious is literally at your fingertips. ANYWAY the BondiBand is AWESOME - kept the hair and sweat out of my eyes without getting irritable or itchy or hot (and as I am temporarily growing my hair out, this is the most important thing in the whole world, because I am decidedly NOT use to hair on my neck). New favorite!

Afterward I was feeling so summery that I stopped and picked up some fresh cut flowers for my condo - amazingly it's been 2 days and the cats have only eaten one or two flowers...... (This is why we can't have nice things.)

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Do you have spring/summer fever, too? How are you adjusting your workouts?