Archives for June 2013

June 28, 2013 By fitnessfatale 4 Comments

Gearing Up for Triathlon Camp

Although I am currently training for the Solana Beach Sprint Triathlon, I’m also training for something even more intense than that – the Active X Endurance Camp. Although I don’t broadcast it here, Mike works for The Active Network (if you aren’t familiar, they are one of the leaders in endurance race registration, including Ironman) and one of the many amazing perks that their employee benefit program Active X includes is a chance to take part in a three day swim-bike-run camp in the nearby mountains. Since we are now considered family, I’m allowed to come as his guest (because of the popularity of the program, they no longer allow non-Active employees outside of family).

The camp takes place Thursday, July 11 (evening) through Sunday, July 14. This has been my main impetus in finally dusting my bike and wet suit off. A 400 m swim, 9 mile bike and 3 mile run at Solana Beach isn’t what scares me, its 3 days of intense triathlon (and afternoon yoga!) workouts with a bunch of super fit athletes.

To gear up for the race as well as camp, the Director of the Active X Program, Arch, has set up several group workouts. Although the group has been meeting every other week or so for the last month, as of late the workouts have ramped up and every Wednesday they meet up for a swim and every Saturday there is another group workout. Last Saturday was my first group workout and it was a practice triathlon.

My Transition Area at Practice Triathlo

I was told that the practice triathlon would be a 400 m swim, a 15 mile bike and a 3 mile run. While I was nervous about the 15 mile bike since I had just dusted mine off and taken it for a 10 mile ride two days before the practice tri, I wasn’t too worried about the swim. 400 meters is hardly far and I knew that despite 9 months away, I’d survive.

When we arrived in Coronado on Saturday morning, I set up my transition area and we chatted until Arch announced the course. It was pretty much the same route as the practice tris I did two years ago with the San Diego Triathlon Club when I was first starting out. He emphasized that this wasn’t a race at all and that we could cut short any of the distances if we wanted. However, after we swam what everyone thought was the entire swim, Arch called out to us and said “another lap!” and we all stood there gaping at him as he repeated it over and over and we finally jumped back in and swam again. My shoulders were burning and I was out of breathe – I had prepared for one lap, not two! But I did it again and in the end I swam 1,000 yards in the open water without having swum in 9 months. Not too bad!

I rode the entire 15 miles which felt like an eternity and of course couldn’t help but think back to the Ironman which was just about one year prior. How the heck did I ride 112 miles? The first 2 miles of the piddly 15 mile, super flat ride felt incredibly uncomfortable. My bum was still very sore from my 10 mile ride on Thursday, my shoulders, arms and back ached while I was in aero, and my thighs were burning like they do during squats in barre class. What was happening!? Had I completely lost all bike fitness? Luckily about three miles in, things started to settle and by the turnaround point I was flying back with a fairly heavy tailwind. It felt good.

Mike had ran a bit while I was gone and then waited for me and he and I ran the 3 mile out and back together, taking it pretty easy until the final 1/2 mile where I put it into high gear and finished strong. It was definitely NOT a race – everyone was kind of doing their own thing but also they were all cheering each other on. We high fived, cheered and congratulated other people along the way. It was a fun workout!

Fletcher Cove – This Lovely Hill is Part of T1 and We Ran Intervals Up It on Wednesday (Photo Taken Previously)

This Wednesday night we met in Fletcher Cove for a swim workout. I was thinking it’d be a fairly basic swim in the ocean, but instead it was turned into a crazy interval workout! We ran out into the waves, duck diving and swimming when possible then swam to a buoy (a person standing in the water), swam to the next buoy (another person) and then came in. The waves weren’t huge but were big enough to create some obstacles and you definitely had to keep looking over you shoulder to ensure you didn’t get pummeled.

After 5 rounds of running in swimming and running out, I was spent. Yet Arch had more in store for us. We started on the beach and waited for a set to come in then charged the wave, duck dived, swam past the break, then swam back in, ran up the beach and up the super steep hill that is in Fletcher Cove (part of T1 in the triathlon) then back. We repeated that 3 times. My legs were not cooperating with me while running up the ramp (I just did hill repeats the night before!) but I tried my best to not walk.

Sun Setting in Fletcher Cove on Wednesday

After a wonderful cool-down in the ocean (it’s so warm right now!), we packed up and headed home. This workout really got me wondering what Arch has in store for us at Endurance Camp! He really doesn’t take mercy on anyone (although clearly you are encouraged to stop if you don’t feel able) and I have a feeling that 3 days of triathlon training in the heat is going to be intense! My pain-loving and “beast” side (as Mike would call it), is pretty excited though!

June 26, 2013 By fitnessfatale 10 Comments

Operation #Fit4Bachelorette

With just less than 4 weeks between me and a weekend of shenanigans in scantily clad outfits with 8 of my closest friends, it’s go time. The weekend of July 19-21 is my bachelorette party in Vegas which includes a full day of bikini wearing, cocktail sipping and dancing at the pool. Clearly, I want to feel good in my bikini and I’ve waited long enough to start an official regime to get myself feeling confident and fabulous that day.

Lately, there has been a little too much of this:

Drinking heavily at a wedding this weekend

Cake Tasting to the Extreme!

Our New Favorite Place – Free Medium Pizza with Purchase of (Very Large) Pitcher of Beer

And not enough of this:

Vegan Goodness

In general, I’m all about moderation which is why I don’t follow a strict vegan diet, but rather a “mostly plant based” one. I enjoy alcohol, pizza, and dessert and having a good time, but post-marathon I’ve been consuming a little more than necessary of these treats. Totally fine, but now that the bachelorette is just weeks away, those couple pounds I’ve put on need to go.

While the nutrition side has been suffering a bit (don’t get me wrong, I still eat mostly vegan and healthy the majority of the time), my workouts have still been going strong. Since the marathon I’ve incorporated strength training at a minimum of three times a week as well as continued to run. As of last week, I picked up swimming and biking as well. I know that perhaps one pound of the few I’ve gained are muscle, since I have seen a serious increase in my strength (particularly upper body) since starting this regime.

For these final 4 weeks, I wanted to pick up the volume/intensity of my workouts and also eat much more clean. The plan includes triathlon training because 1 week after my bachelorette I’m racing the Solana Beach Sprint Triathlon. Here’s the plan:

Eat a clean diet. Eat plenty of fruits, veggies, grains, nuts and healthy fats. Dessert rarely (1x/week max), only 1 cup of coffee a day, no pizza or french fries, and no more dips into the peanut butter pretzels or candy jar at work. Other than the temptations from the bowl of chocolaty goodness at work, my weekday meals are probably considered insanely healthy to most. It’s really the weekends and occasional pitcher and pizza kind of nights that throw me off.
Little to no Alcohol. Luckily Mike is on board with this one – we’re going to try to not drink much if at all for the next 4 weeks (5 for him since that is the race). That definitely means no pitchers of beer!
Do Reformer Pilates Three Times a Week. I recently purchased the Summer Special from Club Pilates for 12 sessions in Encinitas which gives me three classes a week for the next four weeks. My first class was yesterday and I loved it!There will be a blog post on this soon, but if you are unfamiliar, Reformer Pilates is the pilates classes with the crazy torture device looking machines that work every inch of your core with every move. It is more strength based than barre classes since you are using actual resistance, which is why I picked it for my 4 week challenge.
Run 3-4 Times a Week. Starting last week Asia, Jeremy, Mike and I have been running up Torrey Pines on Tuesday nights. I’ve also been running at the weekly Movin Shoes group runs and then at least one more run on my own.
View From My Run Up Torrey Pines Yesterday
Ride or Spin at Least Two Times a Week. I’m training for the Solana Beach triathlon and starting last week, I’m back in the saddle. These rides don’t have to be long (so far none have been over an hour), but they are necessary to get me in shape for the race.
From the Practice Tri Saturday!
Swim at Least Once a Week. Luckily Mike’s work has group swims because otherwise I might not swim at all before Solana Beach. Last Saturday I swam 1,000 yards in Coronado Bay as part of a practice triathlon with his work and tonight we have another group swim planned.
Record Measurements and Take Before and After Photos. This will help me stay accountable. I will share results here!
Post Weekly Training Logs and Honest Review of my Nutrition on the Blog. Again, this will help me stay accountable.

I’m mid-way through Day 3 and I feel better already. The cleaner I eat, the more eating junk seems to throw me in a funk. Same goes for alcohol – it’s such a fun way to relax but the effects aren’t always pretty. It’s time to get bikini ready!!!

Do you do anything special to get in shape before a big vacation or event? What has worked for you?

June 25, 2013 By fitnessfatale 2 Comments

Studio Barre

This past week I was given the opportunity to try out Studio Barre in Carlsbad (off La Costa and El Camino). I tried to make the best of my week and made it to class four times – Tuesday morning, Wednesday evening, Friday morning and Monday morning. This was on top of two runs (including Torrey Pine hill repeats), a bike ride, and a practice triathlon on Saturday. By the end of the week my legs were toast!

Having been to two other barre studios now, I feel like I have a better understanding of how barre classes flow, the jargon (back dancing, pretzel, turned out, etc), and the form. I’m definitely not close to being perfect, but having a little bit of background definitely helped me get benefits from Studio Barre immediately rather than spending time trying to figure it all out.

Looking into the Studio Like a Creeper

I went to my first class at 6 a.m. last Tuesday with Asia, who recently signed up for a month pass after trying it for a week. She had raved about the class so I wanted to see for myself! I was surprised at how full the class was for such an early morning. Just like other barre classes, socks with grip are required. I have my own pair but from what Asia has told me you can borrow a pair at the front desk if you don’t own them, and get a free pair with the purchase of a one month membership.

The class involves equipment so we arrived early to set up our spots. We each grabbed a mat, a small rubber ball, two sets of weights (3s and 2s) and a band. As soon as we got set up the music began and we started to march. The warm-up has the most cardio of the entire class and it definitely achieves it’s goal of warming your body up! As I soon discovered, the warm-up is pretty much the same each time and follows this format:

Marching
Marching with various arm movements
Push-Ups
High plank with leg movements, right side
Side plank
High plank with leg movements, left side
Side plank
Tricep push-ups
Low plank with tucks, movement (varies – arms are absolutely screaming by now)
Abdominal on back (sit-ups and scissors, etc)

By the end of the warm-up my shoulders and abs were on fire and I was sweating. I wondered what was in store for us next! We moved straight into arms right after putting the rubber ball between our upper thighs. In most barre classes, there are usually no breaks between movements and due to this, the weights are usually light. I used 3lbs for the arms and they were on fire! Following the arm portion there is a short stretch.

Studio Barre in general has a serious focus on legs and glutes. The leg portion is long and involves several different positions and moves. It is followed by a glute portion which includes two types of movement per side with a higher intensity variation in the middle (can be glutes, can be push-ups, it depends on the day). The thigh work and glute work were never exactly same in any of the four classes I attended, although some of the moves were repeated (lot of squatting off the bar – my legs feel like they are going to fall off during this part but by the 4th class I could tell I was stronger). The band is often used in several of the exercises and adds some serious intensity. We also often move up into releve (tip-toes) for the second portion of the exercise which adds extra intensity.

After thigh work and seat work, we move into more core work which usually involves low-c and flat back. The grand finale is actually my favorite part of the entire class – we always finish with back dancing. Back dancing is basically where you lay on your back and lift your butt off the floor so all your weight is in your feet and upper back and then squeeze your thighs inward, push them outward (with the band), tuck your pelvis or pulsate up and down, depending on the instructor’s orders. It’s very sexual looking, just like it sounds, but it is an absolutely amazing way to burn out those thighs and buns at the end of class. We finish with a stretch.

I really enjoyed Studio Barre! If you want a booty-lifting, thigh burning workout in a fun, upbeat environment, then give it a try!

June 21, 2013 By fitnessfatale 1 Comment

Back in the Saddle

Remember this girl? Oh yeah, I used to be a triathlete.In fact, the above photo was taken the last time I rode my tri bike which was over 9 months ago.

1 year ago this weekend I completed my first Ironman. I biked 112 miles and somehow ran a marathon, after a 2.4 mile warm-up. Today after 9 months I took my bike out for a ride. Maybe it was inspired the fact that my Ironmaniversary is coming up or maybe it’s inspiration that Page is completing her first Ironman this weekend at CdA. It definitely has something to do with the fact that I signed up for the Solana Beach triathlon which is happening in 5 short weeks. Probably a combination of all of the above.

When I first got my bike onto the street, I was a little nervous. Would I remember how to clip in? How to drink from my water bottle while riding? How to brake and unclip at stop lights without falling over? How to get into aero? I was transformed back into the novice triathlete I was just two years ago when I first learned to ride a road bike.

Once I clipped in (only one foot at first…just in case) and started to ride, I realized quickly I was in the wrong gear and found that I was able to remember how to change them. I headed out onto a neighborhood street and rode down to the end and back, about 1.5 miles, making a U-turn at the end. It wasn’t so bad. I could do this. I headed back out through the neighborhood and then took a steep hill down, over a speed bump and then turned onto coast highway. Traffic. I could do this.

Quickly I got in a groove. Within minutes I was in aero. I wasn’t overconfident though. I was cautious, taking it easy and watching carefully for any cars that may pull out from the parallel parking along the coast highway and potentially hit me. I’ve grown afraid of cycling in my time off. After reading about a young girl my age being hit and killed by a car while cycling in Newport Beach shortly after the Ironman and then a local man being killed while cycling on my route to work just a month or so ago (on a Sunday morning at 7 a.m., not rush hour), my fear of the road has increased. I often wonder if I even enjoy cycling enough to be worth the risk.

However, while riding today, I remembered. I remembered why I fell in love with triathlon and why I signed up for the Ironman. I remembered what it felt like to achieve milestones on the bike. First, it was my first 40 mile ride, which felt equally hard as my first 100 mile ride. I remembered what it felt like when my thighs were burning as I huffed and puffed up a steep hill and then how freeing it felt to ride down the back of the hill, flying past trees and feeling the cool wind rush over me.

So Rory, let’s do this. We have five weeks together and let’s become BFFs again.

Rory Getting Cleaned Up This Week

June 19, 2013 By fitnessfatale 3 Comments

Best Double Date Ever

TEAM WODS!

Tuesday nights for Team WODS (see here for explanation on why Asia, Jeremy, Mike and I call ourselves this) for the next 8 weeks until the America’s Finest City (AFC) Half Marathon will consist of two things – hill repeats up Torrey Pines and a team dinner. Best double date ever.

We always run AFC (Mike’s 6th year in an row, my 4th) and we always set some lofty goal for ourselves. Then we always get crushed because the course, although beautiful, is not forgiving. It starts with some rolling hills and then proceeds to hammer your quads with about 2 miles of serious downhills before flattening out for a bit and then sloping upward around mile 10.5 and hitting a serious incline at mile 12 that continues basically until the finish line. Essentially, hill training is necessary if you want to do well at AFC and Torrey Pines is our resident hill.

View from Torrey Pines Parking Lot

Torrey Pines is just South of Del Mar, a gorgeous wealthy community in North County San Diego. The hill itself is part of the Torrey Pines State Reserve which boasts 2,000 acres of oceanfront property and 8 miles of trails throughout. Most of the trails are hiking trails but there is one paved road that winds up the face of the mountain. This road is part of the La Jolla Half Marathon as well as the Ragnar SoCal course and has a history of crushing souls in a race. It has an average of 6.5% incline for the first mile, but there are several portions that are even steeper. Once you reach the top of the steep portion, there is another 1/2 mile or so of a gentle incline until you reach the end of the park, for a total of a 1.5 mile loop if you begin at the restrooms in the parking lot and run all the way to the gate at the top.

Wearing My New Nikes!

Before we ran the La Jolla half in 2011 we made it out to Torrey for about 5-6 runs. It made a significant difference in our performance at that race and all of Team WODS (unnamed at the time) had big PRs despite La Jolla being a notoriously tough course. Although the hills in AFC aren’t as steep as Torrey, it is still a great way to practice for the race. Running hills can be as great as speed work for your lungs but with the added bonus of building length strength at the same time.

View of Sun Coming Through Clouds at the Top!

Last night the rest of Team WODS was running late so I started doing short repeats up the hill while I waited. I did three 1/2 mile repeats up the steep portion. Once they arrived, Asia and I ran the 1.5 mile route up to the gate at the top and back and then ran up again, this time probably making it about 1/2 a mile before turning around. Our pace up the steepest portion of the hill is laughable – sometimes over a 12 min/mile pace, but our legs were screaming (we also went to a barre workout that morning!) and lungs were yelling.

At one point we were running down the hill and we saw Mike making his way up, a focused look on his face. Next we saw Jeremy (who took quite a bit of time off after Ironman Cozumel and is just getting back into things) and he deadpanned, “Best double date ever.” Asia and I couldn’t help but laugh – although to most this might seem like a crazy double date, to us it was perfect!

After the workout, we headed over to Asia and Jeremy’s house to cook dinner together. We made tempeh burritos and accompanied them with chips, guacamole, salsa and beer! A great reward for an incredibly tough workout. If we keep it up, by the time AFC comes along we will be ready to crush that hill at the end!

Do you incorporate hill workouts into your training? Do you ever schedule workout dates or double dates?

June 18, 2013 By fitnessfatale 1 Comment

My Favorite Coach

This Father’s Day more than any other I really thought about how my dad has shaped me into who I am. He’s taught me so much and always been there to support me in any big decision I’ve made (even if he knew it wasn’t the smartest choice but I had to learn on my own). Although I haven’t spent the majority of my life living under the same roof as him (my parents split when I was 4) he has always made an effort to teach me as much as he could.

Education was always the most important thing to him and every other weekend when I visited him, he had a learning activity arranged for me. I remember learning to cross my Ts in writing, that 12 times 12 equals 144, and how to read while at his house, all ahead of my current school curriculum, of course. In order to get me to spend time learning on the weekends, he rewarded me with trips to Chuck E Cheese and Disneyland whenever possible. As I got older, he taught me how to type and paid me 60 dollars once I learned to type 60 words per minute. Now I can type over 100 words per minute, all thanks to my addiction to my Typing Tutor computer program. I also inherited his love of spreadsheets (he once countered my request for a raise in allowance with a budget spreadsheet categorized by weekly, monthly and amortized yearly expenses).

But it wasn’t just school that he helped me with. Sports have also been a big part of our relationship. Even if he didn’t fully understand the sport (gymnastics for example), he bought books and tried to learn it (and gave me the books to read which I never did…) so he could help me become better. My attention span wasn’t long and never could decide on any sport, so my Dad helped teach me how to shoot a basketball, hit a softball, balance on a beam, snow plow on skis, ride a bike, skate on these crazy new things called roller blades, and swim correct freestyle. We would go to the batting cages on the weekends during softball season and spend hours (or it seemed so anyway) shooting hoops during basketball season. He came to as many of my games as he could and when I was on the swim team in high school he’d make it to my meets fairly often as well.

Once I left high school and entered college we no longer had the love of sports to bond over and I was more interested in things like boys and parties. However, he was always there for me when I needed to know which type of digital camera to buy, what a cell phone contract is, or how to pump my tires at the gas station. When I left my job and traveled through Southeast Asia for four months, instead of reminding me that the economy was at it’s worst (it was 2008) and that I should save my money and keep working, he supported my decision and read every one of my travel blog posts.

Sharing Our Birthday Cake Before P90X for Both of Us!

Only in the last year have we begun to bond over sports again. After coming out to cheer us on at the Surf City Marathon, Oceanside Half Ironman and Ironman CdA last year, my dad and my step mom Denice got a bit of inspiration. They bought P90X, finished the program and transformed their bodies and began to train for their first half marathon (and 15k!). In the process, I grew closer with both of them. Running my dad in for the last half mile or so of his first half marathon was an incredibly happy moment in my life and I won’t forget it. Knowing that I helped get him to that finish line just as he helped me so many times over the years was amazingly rewarding.

After My Dad and Step Mom’s First Half Marathon This Year

Happy Father’s Day Dad! I love you and I can’t wait for many more milestones!

Has your dad shaped you athletically?

June 14, 2013 By fitnessfatale 3 Comments

Still Running

Oh yes, running. In the midst of all these other fun activities, I have still made time for running. Although it’s not on the forefront of my mind or the focus of my week, running is still there, filling my lungs with fresh air and giving my eyes more to look at than a television screen or studio full of sweaty yogis.

I am currently signed up for two running races – the Coronado Independence Day 15k (on 4th of July, clearly) and America’s Finest City Half Marathon (in August). As of now, I have no real training plan for these races. I may try to get more structured workouts in for AFC but for now I’m kind of just going with the flow. I’ve been mostly running with friends and I did even get one speed work sessions in (10 x 400 m intervals on the treadmill), but nothing has been too crazy. I think my P90X Plyometrics workouts are a good substitute for interval training as well, although we all know that nothing can truly replace running if you want to become a faster runner.

The point is, I’d love to get faster but right now it’s not my priority. My next BQ attempt likely won’t be until Spring 2014, so I have plenty of time to ramp up training and get faster with some tune up races in the winter after the wedding and honeymoon are over.

June Gloom Photo From Asia & My 8 Miler Last Weekend

But, I am still running and I do know that I truly love it. It has become even more fun lately doing group runs and meeting up with Asia or my friend Allison and just running however long I want, instead of looking at my plan and having to run alone because Asia and my workouts don’t match that day (which was most days!).

In the back of my mind (and in some conversations) I had a goal to break 1:40 at AFC in August, but if I’m really honest with myself, that goal isn’t my priority. If it were to happen, that’d be awesome, but if not I’m not going to kill myself over it. That race historically hasn’t been my best race since it’s smack dab in the middle of a busy (and often VERY HOT) summer and the finish line comes right after a solid 1 mile climb which always deflates my spirits and throws off my pace (yet we continue to run it year after year, but that story is for another day).

So, yes, for once I am not “training” for anything. I am running an few races, working on strength and having fun this summer! Oh yeah and getting married!

Have you ever ran a race without following a training plan? Anyone else running Coronado 15k or AFC?

June 13, 2013 By fitnessfatale 5 Comments

P90X Update and Chin Up Assist Review

Mike and I are now through with “Week 4” of our modified P90X routine – but it’s been 5 weeks. Due to weekend trips, vacations, schedules, me trying all these fun new classes (hot yoga, Dailey Method’s new Dailey Interval, Xtend Barre), it took us nearly two weeks to get through our final week. Our modified schedule is basically as follows:

Weeks 1 & 3: Chest and Back, Plyometrics (I skipped this week 1 since I was still recovering from the marathon), Shoulders & Arms, and Legs and Back

Weeks 2 & 4: Chest, Shoulders and Tris, Plyometrics, Biceps and Back, and Legs and Back.

Between these four core P90X workouts I was doing the above classes, running about 3-4 times a week, and even got some hikes in on our trip to Ventura! For me, variety has been key in keeping me interested and excited about working out. Although I still love running VERY much (hence why I’m still running quite frequently), I’ve been having a great time getting some of my muscles back.

My muscles actually seem to remember my old P90X days. For example, week one of Chest and Back I could only do about 15 traditional push-ups. By week 3 in the same workout I was able to do 25! My strength is coming back and it feels great.

One change to this round of P90X was that I have been using the P90X Chin Up Assist. This handy little contraption hooks on to the pull-up bar and allows you to get the normal range of motion for a pull-up without actually being strong enough to lift yourself up. Although I worked my way up to being able to do two consecutive unassisted pull-ups during my first round of P90X, I’ve lost that strength (I actually have yet to attempt to do a pull-up this round, I should really try!).

The P90X Chin Up Assist has been incredible. Although I’m not able to do as many reps as I was using the chair, it really works my back muscles the way a pull up or chin up should. I used to kind of half ass my pull ups using the chair because it’s really hard to not push all your weight into your feet during that method. The Chin Up Assist gives you some extra help but there is no cheating – you have to do the work to get yourself up. If you are strong enough to do pull-ups, you can start doing unassisted and then when you get tired, switch to the chin-up bar to get those extra reps and extra results!

The Chin Up Assist comes un-assembled but it’s easy to put together (trust me, if I can, you can). Once you’ve got it together, you just hook it onto the middle of your pull up bar and then put one foot int the stirrups. Then you put your other foot on top of the first foot (it’s important to put both feet in to avoid uneven weight distribution). Once you’re strapped in, you lift yourself up! You can adjust the resistance of the straps as you get stronger to provide less support. The lower the strap hangs, the less resistance.

The Chin Up Assist costs $39.90 and you can buy it on my website here: http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/fitnessfatale (click Shop Team Beachbody on the right side and then Equipment and Gear click Chin Up and Push Up and chose the “Chin Up Max”). In my opinion it’s totally worth it and will definitely help you get the results you are looking for with P90X or any workout program that involves pull-ups.

The reason I was completing this 4 week P90X program with Mike was because he was wrapping up his 90 day program. Now that he’s finished, we’re still determining what to do next. More P90X? P90X2? Or something else….we’ll see.

Do you do pull-ups? Would you find something like the chin up assist helpful?

June 10, 2013 By fitnessfatale 11 Comments

Laser Eye Surgery – I Can See!!!

Post Surgery in Cool Shades!

On Friday I change my vision and all it took less than two hours! After years or saying I wanted to get laser eye surgery but waiting to near the ripe age of 30 so that my eyes would have a less likelihood of changing, I finally went through with it and got laser eye surgery. If you aren’t familiar, LASIK (Laser Assisted in situ Keratomileusis) is a procedure in which a ophthalmologist uses a laser to reshape the eye’s cornea in order to improve vision. Basically you can say goodbye to glasses and contacts immediately after laser eye surgery.

I decided to get the procedure done at the same place my dad and step mom got their eyes done at about a year ago. My dad offered to drive me to my appointment and I’d have to spend the night at their house in Orange County since you aren’t allowed to drive day 1 of Lasik and I’d have a follow up appointment the next day. On Friday I left work at 1 p.m., drove the 1.5 hours to my dad’s house and was in the waiting room of Excel Laser Vision Institute in Brea by 3 p.m. My dad came with me and went from room to room with me for the entire procedure. It was really comforting to have him there!

The appointment began with three tests in which I had to open my eye really wide so that they could take photos of the shape, etc of my eye. Next we moved into a room where I gave a brief medical history to the nurse as well as did a typical eye test using the chart of letters on the wall. Embarrassingly enough, my vision was SO bad going into the surgery that I didn’t even recognize the huge E at the top of the chart!!! I first got glasses for seeing the board my sophomore year of high school but I’m pretty sure I needed them way before then. Within a year or so of getting glasses I started wearing contacts regularly and my prescription got progressively worse. As of the last couple of years though, it has steadied at a nice solid -4.5 (i.e. i can see my hand in front of my face and can read up close but can’t read a single sign or see a computer screen clearly from my desk chair).

I Couldn’t Even Read the E

Next the doctor came in and started with a test to see if my eyes are thick enough to do the procedure. This is a deal breaker -if your eyes aren’t thick enough, you can’t have the surgery. Luckily mine were! Next we went through a routine eye exam to figure out exactly where my eyes are at so they could use the information to shape my eye during the surgery.

After that, they dilated and numbed my eyes and I signed more paperwork, got an overview of the procedure, and went over the post-operative care instructions. Soon after we were sitting in the tiny waiting area right before entering the surgery room. My hair was put into a hair net and I sat down on a chair similar to a dentists chair except it was surrounded by huge machines.

As soon as I sat down things were in motion. One eye was covered at all times and based on what I could feel, they used some device to pry my eyes open so they wouldn’t close at all during the surgery. The doctor’s soothing voice was constantly telling me to focus on the green light or red light and I could tell they were cutting a flap in my eye. At one point it went completely black and I panicked a bit thinking I had gone blind. They moved to the other eye and did the same thing and then moved back to the first eye. This time I think is when they used the laser because it smelled horrible like frying flesh (sorry gross I know!). Throughout the procedure everything was blurry and all I could do was focus on a blurry red or green light, using that as my beacon of hope that I wasn’t blind! I realized early on that I was holding my breath so I focused on taking deep breaths and getting as much air as possible. I did not feel ANYTHING during the surgery – no pain at all, yet it was highly uncomfortable and I couldn’t wait for it to be over, just because it was so disorienting and somewhat scary.

The entire thing was over in less than five minutes. I was relieved when they said I could sit up and when I did, I could see perfectly! They had taped some crazy clear eye covers over my eyes so things were a big fuzzy, but there was no pain and everything looked fine! My dad drove me home and we were back at the house just after 5 p.m. The entire process was less than two hours. I was instructed to take a long nap and if I couldn’t, I needed to at least keep my eyes shut as much as possible for the next 2-3 hours. I took a 1.5 hour nap and then talked on the phone to Mike and my Mom with my eyes shut for the next 45 minutes or so. My dad filled my prescription of eye drops and I took them starting 2 hours after the surgery every 4 hours, even throughout the night (set an alarm).

The next day I was allowed to take my eye masks off but had to continue the drops 4 times a day. I headed to my post-op appointment at 9 a.m. and was told that my eyes looked great and my vision is 15/20! I couldn’t’ believe how well I could see and how pain-free the whole experience was. The only downside was that I have some inflammation in my right eye so I have to use the anti-inflammatory drops every 2 hours and come back for another appointment on Tuesday (i.e. drive 3 hours round trip during the workday for a 10 min appointment…). But in the grand scheme of things, I couldn’t ask for an easier process to get perfect vision! This will change my life!

Wearing Glasses 2 Day Pre-Surgery

If you are considering laser eye surgery, a few things to think about before scheduling your appointment that I didn’t realize. First, you cannot wear contacts for 2-3 days before your surgery so be prepared to wear glasses for those days. You can’t wear make-up or use lotion the day of your surgery. Also, you can’t wear eye make-up for 2 weeks post surgery and you can’t swim for 2-4 weeks (includes hot tubs). You have to wear the eye masks for 2 weeks and do the drops 4 times a day for one week. I can exercise but nothing too sweaty and I need to wear a sweat band while I do so to avoid sweat getting in my eyes. Laser eye surgery definitely will impact your life for a few weeks but not too significantly and it’s totally worth it for the amazing vision it produces!

Have you had laser eye surgery? If not, do you want to get it? Or are you blessed with perfect vision?!

June 6, 2013 By fitnessfatale 4 Comments

Dailey Interval

The Dailey Method, my favorite of the barre studio, has come out recently with a new class that puts a whole new twist on “Doing it Dailey” – Dailey Interval! Dailey Interval is a shorter, but higher intensity version of the original Dailey Method class that focuses on getting the heart pumping and the thighs burning! Yesterday morning at 6 a.m. I got to try this workout for the first time.

Despite being high intensity, the class is low impact. I was expecting a lot more movement and jumping around, but instead of plyometric moves, the class utilizes more static and low impact moves that engage large muscle groups (i.e quads, glutes) to create heat and energy (i.e. burn major calories!). Very often we were simply holding a position rather than moving, yet my heart was pumping and sweat was pouring! The class mixes holding intense positions with periods of movement, usually in the forms of squats, plies and lunges coordinated with hand motions. Both feet never leave the floor. Each exercise is one minute long and there is very little stopping for stretching (unlike the original class which incorporates several minutes of stretching throughout).

To give you an example, here’s how the warm-up went. After a few simple moves to get the body a little warm (such as bending over, touching the ground and standing up), we moved into the following:

1 minute chair pose
1 minute straight arm plank
1 minute chair pose with up and down movement
1 minute straight arm plank with leg movement
1 minute chair pose with another variation of movement
1 minute straight arm plank with higher intensity leg movement

Honestly after this six minute warm-up I was spent! My legs were burning, my shoulders were on fire and my buns were toasted. I started to wonder what I got myself into!

The class continued with this intensity, stopping very briefly to move from the center of the room to the bar or back. There was only one set of focused abdominal work but the class was working the core the entire time via planks and other moves. The focus of the moves was definitely on the legs since they are such large muscles and utilizing them gets the heart rate up, but there were also plenty of push-ups and planks to work the arm muscles. There were also some coordinated movements that were more “dancy” than the traditional Dailey Method Class. I wouldn’t say I have great rhythm but I was able to keep up.

By the end of the 45 minute class I was spent! The entire 45 minutes was utilized and every inch of my body got a great workout. Personally I felt that this class was a better leg and glute workout than the traditional class, mostly because I enjoy movement in my leg strengthening more than I do static poses. Traditional Dailey Method classes keep you in the same position for very long periods of time and sometimes I have difficultly with mental toughness to get through the pain. The movements in this class helped me keep my mind off the pain a bit more!

I really enjoyed this class and I think that Dailey Method was really smart to add it to their schedule. It offers a great supplement to the traditional classes by providing a cardiovascular workout at the same time as strengthening the entire body. It’s also a nice change that I think will keep the Dailey Method members coming back for more!

If you have tried barre classes, do you prefer ones that make you sweat or are more focused on alignment, stretching and strength? Have you tried Dailey Interval?