Fitness With The Addition of Boxing

I started running about a month ago now.  (I have the proper dates on a Vancouver Canucks white board on my fridge, but it's far away).  I've made a plan and a commitment to myself to stay active, and I'm putting it all down on paper (read: the internet) - photo included.

Here is my official "Before" Photo:

Before Eugene from Sweatshop Boxing took this photo he was holding my camera upside down and asked me if I had a "left handed camera"

I had planned to take this picture, I took my camera to the session and everything - I just forgot about that until after class, usually my face isn't quite so red/sticky with sweat. (usually....)  Hey! At least I smiled! It's better than the stupid faces I have made in many a facebook photo. 

The thought process behind the before picture is for me not to get discouraged when I don't notice my results.   Most people don't notice their results right away, and I don't own a full length mirror right now.  So I will be looking back and comparing it to a new photo every 3 months.  For all I know, I may have already lost a little bit.  I definitely sweat a lot, if that counts for anything, I'm not sure.

My plan from here on out is to go out to fitness boxing twice a week and run 2-4 times a week.  Sometimes I get caught up in work and what not, but I need to do this for me and my health so I'm going to!  It also helps that Sweatshop Boxing is right across the street from the radio station I work for - CJ1240.

Fitness Boxing is a whole new animal compared to Jogging.  Oh. My. Damn.   It is a non-stop hour of pumped up motion.  You are hitting the bag then doing burpees (my own worst enemy), sit ups, pushups, sit ups, punching with weights, medicine ball exercises, stairs, skipping and many other pulse pounding activities.  Let's just say I've found my muscles, they do exist, and once they stop hurting, we may be able to see them (one day....).   But seriously, after one of these workouts, you will feel the burn people talk about, and you will like it (I swear it's true!).    Also, all those exercises I mentioned?  They're always done in different orders and at different times and in different ways, so it's always unexpected and fun.

This is what works for me and keeps me motivated right now.  It's also something I didn't really know existed until Jenn (from Sweatshop Boxing) told me about it.  I'm glad she did.  Random thought - I also think I might try Zumba next, I feel like it'd be an entirely new challenge to my lack of rhythm... oh, and fitness too I suppose.

So there, it's chronicled.  I will update this very blog 3 months today with a side by side picture comparison to see what progress I've made.

Thanks again to everyone who reads! 

See? Covered hands! I'm imagining they're wrapped.

One last note:

Every time I put on hand wraps,  I feel like a bad ass warrior/video game character.

Not Fergalicious - Still Workin' On My Fitness

Today marks the start of Week #3 of my fitness plan.

When writing this, I got sweat all down the pen and on the paper. (Update: I have since showered and now smell very fruity).  I had to write my thoughts down first so the shower wouldn't wash away my tired, achy, sarcastic thoughts.

I've managed to run 3 days a week over the last two weeks.  It may not seem like much to the fitness fanatic, but to me, it was a LOT of sweat, sweat, and tears.  (I would have put blood there, but I've yet to fall and scrape up my knees, knock on wood.  The tears part does belong though, trust me).

I may classify myself as a "runner" one day.  One day when I stop making pained facial expressions while moving at a snail's pace. Maybe...

One of the things I now profusely thank God (Read: Steve Jobs) for, is the iPod.  Music. Helps. A LOT.





One of the ways I motivate myself, is to talk to myself in my head while I run.  I literally try to think of jokes and anecdotes to entertain myself.  I know, I sound crazy, but I swear to God (not Steve Jobs this time, but like the saying) that it DOES work.   I mentioned music before because it ties in to this.

For Example:

"Untouched" by The Veronicas is freakin' great to run to.  Why? Because I know that anyone who has seen me while I'm running will never want to touch me.  (see what I did there?)


Does that seem harsh and judgmental? YES.  But It also makes me laugh at myself, which to my feet, is like picking up a golden mushroom in Mario Kart. 
 

That song also has a sick beat. Consider me PUMPED UP.

I pray that one day,
I can look as good as this guy when running 

The other reason I am a huge fan of Steve "God" Jobs (may he rest in peace) and Michael Jordan, is the Nike + fitness app.  It allows me to make fun of myself and my surroundings without worrying about my time or distance.  It's cool because I can go back on my iPod and see how I've been doing and set goals for myself.   Today, I ran about 10 minutes longer than each of my previous sessions and the strangely human-sounding robot voices in my iPod gave me those results, and even told me "Great Job!"  I will add to this that female voice in this app is too perky to be talking to me post-run.  Coming from me, a self professed perky white girl, that's saying quite a bit.

One thing that's jumped out at me thanks to that last ramble, is that though some tech is keeping people sedentary (whine internet, whine!), this particular app is helping me GET ACTIVE.  Very sneaky and genius Apple.

While I'm on the fitness topic (again, I know):  I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me support and well wishes in comments, facebook posts, tweets and all over the freakin' internet since I started my fitness plan.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (This part is not sarcastic, I swear)


One last thought:  Is it bad if both your feet are numb and you continue running?   Not that I did that for the last 5-7 minutes of my run today or anything...

And Now for something completely different...

I usually post on here about things to do with pop culture, but today it's personal.   In the last few weeks, I've been trying to change some of my habits to be healthier.   It's a process.  I've slowly weaned my self off snacky junk food (I'm lookin' at you potato chips!) and have started exercising.   Before this, I really wasn't exercising, which is terrible for me, I know, but I used being busy as an excuse.   Near the end of April, I took stock of my life, which sounds weird, but I basically tried to look at everything I was doing and deciding what was good for me and what wasn't.  I made a mental list and my journey began. 

Through the month of May I made sure that I was walking at least a few times a week so I was getting off the couch, and I started to eat more fruits, vegetables and proteins.  Smoothies made with ridiculous amounts of fresh/frozen fruit are my new favourite thing.  It's so easy to throw everything in a blender and hit a button, plus any meal that takes less than 5 minutes to make is a-ok with me.   

George Takei (yes, from Star Trek and he's hilarious) posted this online today:

It's quite serendipitous that he posted this photo, the same week I started running.  Thanks Sulu.

Running is hard.  I've said I'm out of shape, but you never realize quite how out of shape you are until your first run.   On Tuesday, my lungs were burning, my legs were jelly, I couldn't breathe and I was grinning like an idiot.   Though running hurts and my calf muscles were sore the whole next day, it's incredibly cathartic.    The hard work hurts, but if you stick to it you will get results.  I know this, because I was an active kid, and also a skinny, healthy kid.  Long story short, I joined the professional ranks and with school on top of that - health and fitness fell by the wayside.    I've been out of school for about 2 years now and working only 1 job right now (trust me, this is weird for me).  So it's time to shape up and stop making excuses.

You can follow my progress in a series of one-liners on twitter.

Yesterday I went for run #2.  It was almost twice the length and time of run #1 (I have a nike app on my iPod that tells me these things).  This is a great improvement in my books, not only did I work harder, but I didn't feel as pained after.  Also, stretching is important.

My main goal in all of this is two tiered.  I want to be healthier,  I will feel better and look better as a result I know it.  This is not something that is about "weight loss" for me.  I don't even own a scale (they can be quite depressing).   As a part of the "health" goal, I also want to fit in to what are known as "normal" sized clothes.  Currently I'm "plus sized" and nothing really fits me the way I want it to.  This is a problem when you're a shopaholic who loves clothes and shoes (I still have no problems buying shoes, my bank account hates shoes). 

This blog post is my online promise to myself and the world to my goal.  I want to look and feel healthier, and get back below a size 16.

The X Factor

Music competition shows - There's a LOT of them.  I'm not going to lie to you, I follow most of them.  It's one of those terrible, yet awesome addictions.   Just today (via twitter, of course) it was announced officially who would be the final two judges on The X Factor.  

Drum roll please.... (Okay imagine the drum roll, humour me.)

Your X Factor Judges are:

From Left to Right: LA Reid, Britney Spears (OMG), Demi Lovato (ZOMG), and Simon Cowell

There you have it!  Britney Spears and Demi Lovato will officially be replacing Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger.   I'm actually pretty excited to see what kind of crazy they'll bring.  Last season was entertaining with Paula and Scherzy, but this will be different.   I'm predicting that Britney will end up putting her foot in her mouth, several times and Demi will be overly inspirational about the struggles these contestants are sure to face (it's reality TV, let's not kid ourselves).  In fact, when Britney talks they should just play "Oops I Did It Again" in the background, then she could always agree with herself (hey yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah).   And everytime Demi starts to get motivational, Skyscraper can cut in.

Intense right?


My other prediction for this judging panel is that the outfits will get outrageous.  Come on, it's BRITNEY SPEARS.  Pants wearing will be down significantly.

Overall though,  I think Simon Cowell and crew know what they're doing.  Demi Lovato brings in the younger crowd who've loved her since Camp Rock and Britney Spears will hopefully bring in more of their 18-49 demographic.  Who doesn't know who Britney Spears is in the year 2012?  (rhetorical question, everyone "loves" brit brit)

Now that we have judges, all the X Factor needs is a new host to replace Steve Jones.  I'm wondering why it's always dudes that host these things (Seacrest, Carson Daly),  so I'd like to officially put my own foot forward to host: 

See the resemblance?  We've both got Welsh in our blood. 
Okay he's actually Welsh and my grandfather's Welsh, but that's close enough right?
(Also he's so damn fine)

What do you think?   Was this a good move for The X Factor?  Do I have a chance at hosting?  

Hit me up in the comments, on the twitter, or shoot me a comment on my facebook fan page (links to the left, to the left, like Beyonce likes)


On a personal note,  The Voice is still my favourite at this point, mostly because of this:

That's a whole lotta handsome in one photo. (I guess CeeLo and Christina are alright too...)

Improv!

Thinking on your feet is a challenge.  Making it entertaining?  Even more of a challenge.  Tonight I took part in an improv workshop with Talia Pura (pictured with me below).

It felt like a hometown version of "Whose Line is it Anyway?" with Talia acting as teacher/Drew Carey, and me, a much shorter Ryan Stiles (or a much paler Whoopi, I haven't decided).  There's a lot of thought that goes in to doing improv, but at the same time there's no time to think.  This makes it a fast-paced, fun dynamic that often goes in strange directions.  So what are the basics of Improv?

1. No Blocking - this is something I learned in radio school as well.  The basic idea is to go along with the scene the other players are trying to set.  Don't shut down what they've started, build on it.

2. Go with your first idea/instinct.  The cool thing about improv is there's no "right" and "wrong", you just go with the flow.  By not second guessing every thought you have, you don't stop your creativity and you bring new elements to the scene every time.

3. Expect the unexpected.  Is it oxymoronic in nature? yes.  Is oxymoronic a word? I'm not really sure.  However, I feel like this needed to be added because some scenes start in reality, and end up on an undiscovered planet.    It's almost impossible to know what the other players are thinking.

So why do improv?

For me, it's all about exploring different situations and staying sharp.  Oh, it's also ridiculously fun and entertaining.  Did I mention FUN?!! It's Fun.

If you ever get the opportunity to do an improv workshop or play theatre games, give it a try.  You may just find a quirky character you never knew lived inside of you.

And you may end up like these guys one day:

 (Though it would help to know someone like Drew Carey ahead of time)

I'd like to thank Theatre 53 and The Pas Regional Library for putting this on as it was - you guessed it - FUN! Also, a thank you to the talented Talia Pura for being our guide through the random!

GCB

Okay, confession time.  Forgive me father, for I love drama.  So maybe that's not a sin, but when it comes to devouring television, it can be quite the addiction.  First, I got hooked on Gossip Girl (which I still watch when it's on each week, religiously).  Now, the newest show that's caught me, is GCB.  It's witty, hilarious, and full of drama.   GCB stands for Good Christian B____s. (you can pick up that last word on your own).   The title itself is clever, and lends itself well to the show.  On top of all that, they play the show on Sundays.  Perfection.

There's a full cast of characters committed to doing whatever it takes to succeed, each in their own way.  Carlene (pictured in the poster above) is trying oh so hard to be the perfect Christian. She's got a son in high school, and her Husband Rip owns a number of establishments (including the aptly named "Boobylicious" which is like hooters, with red, high waisted shorts)

Heather is looking for love while remaining a real estate mogul. She's also the only one of the main antagonists who seems to want to be a good person.

Cricket and her (gay) husband Blake are committed to each other as best friends and stay together for their family, while also running an extremely successful business that seems to run a good chunk of Texas and some other states. 

Sharon is a strange one.  The one time beauty queen is a bit bigger than in high school (but by no standards obese), and she has a lot of self esteem issues she carries out in different ways.  She likes to work for the pastor (while clearly crushing on him), and lose weight using strictly the bible (Which I suppose is no worse than any other fad diet).   She's also married with 2 kids.

And what would the show be without Amanda.

Leslie Bibb brings this character to life in a way that's endearing, with just enough attitude to make it believable.   The premise of the entire show is that Amanda has to move back to Dallas from LA to live with her mother after finding out her husband was not only cheating on her with her best friend, but embezzling money from many, many people.   See?  Drama.   The reason her moving back to town is such a big deal, is because in high school, she was the Queen Bee, and she was Nasty (with a capital N).   After going through so much with her husband and living away from Dallas, she's nicer now and worries more about her two kids in high school, but the girls she taunted haven't forgotten. Thus, hijinks ensue. 

It's a fun show that pokes fun at religion, people's relationships, and really shows how good and bad bribery, backstabbing and scheming can be.   It even inspired a line of those funny online e-cards that litter facebook and twitter (I mean litter in the best way possible here, most of them are good for a literal LOL).

There's also some high fashion, and Kirstin Chenoweth (Carlene) singing.  Cheno singing is never a bad thing, that woman can BELT like nobody's business.

In short, if you're looking for a show that's fast paced, fun and dramatic.  GCB is it.  What other show on television could get away with a conversion joke like "I saw a table full of turbans and just went for it!"  There's nothing sinister about it. Just good, clean, "Christian" fun. 

If you've ever watched anything with Kristin Chenoweth in it and loved it, all her skills are put to use here.  It's awesome.


Side note - Is putting the B word in titles of TV a cool thing to do now?  "Don't Trust The B in Apartment 23" premieres this week.  It looks promising from the previews and reviews, but why so many Bs?  Can't girls just be sassy anymore?

Trailer Park Boys

One of the coolest things about being a radio host is the opportunity to interview the rich and/or famous.  If you're Canadian, you probably know the trailer park boys. I was lucky enough to meet John Dunsworth (Mr. Lahey) and Patrick Roach (Randy). 

The thing about actors is, they're often nothing like their characters.  For example: In real life, Mr. Lahey rarely drinks and is quite pleasant to talk to.  I can't wait to see their comedy act at the Wescana Inn here in The Pas!


Here's the audio from my radio interview with the guys:

Randy and Mr.Lahey - Full unedited interview

Enjoy!  It's about 15 minutes long.