Well back in my workout groove! I made it to Krav Maga yesterday for Level 1 and today Dawn & I did 2 Krav Maga classes back to back!!!! Let me just say Krav Maga is NOT A GAME! I told Dawn this sure aint spinning & step class! Its nothing for us to take back to back cardio classes shoot I have done a 3.5 hour workout marathon on more than one occasion but Krav Maga wears you mentally & physically. I am really glad we did it I feel strong and focused!
I won't talk about feeling up the instructor though... They are just so manly! They are all different sizes, shapes, races, heights, etc. but they are MEN juicy real men with lots of crazy and testosterone!
ME LIKEY! :-)
Its a busy weekend but I am working out with Charles Saturday and then headed to Krav Maga. On Sunday I am going to do Heavy Bag! I found a good video that looks like our class! I am hearing from a lot of folks that they want to try it out so that's good! Its not for everyone but its a great workout as long as you don't get it...speaking of which I had a new partner Wednesday and she LOOKED nice! That heffa hit me twice! Once so hard my contact popped out!!! Humph! Next time I'll stick with the boys!! LOL
I worked on a July Vision Board! I fell short for my June goals but I still feel good I lost about 3-4 pounds, I am back in my 14s, I am drinking more water, and my workouts were consistent for most of the month! All good things! I am starting a 8 week challenge looking forward to it!!!
Well I have been MIA and B-U-S-Y!!!! I had some great trips one to Seattle, Washington with a road trip to Oregon and then to New York (home sweet home) for my birthday and I am gearing up for another trip to Atlanta and Jamaica somewhere in the mix as well! Well I am "Even Steve" after my back to back trips! That is amazing to me and I can say I am so proud of myself! I kept up on the myfitnesspal.com website while I was away and I exercised EVERY DAY! I was so excited to see my collar bones in the pictures I could barely contain myself!
Seattle was a really, really nice place. It kinda reminded me of Anchorage, Alaska very green, daylight well until 9 at night, and very friendly people! I talk about my vision board and to see the Seattle Space Needle was certainly on there! I had a blast! The food was great I have never had salmon taste THAT good! I was really proud of myself I made good choices and worked out EVERY SINGLE DAY! I even found a Bikram/Hot Yoga studio called Fusion Hot Yoga! Now their hot yoga was HOT HOT! Charm City Yoga (by the way I so wore their tshirt I aint new to this! Had to elt them know! lol) to me is good and challenging but this was like I almost passed out twice! LOL In fact my Mother and her employee came and my Mom toughed it out but the other lady had to leave! I told her no shame that was a good first class to attempt! They use heat and steam that steam makes a difference!
During the class the teacher make the comment that "You have to train you feet to keep coming do not let your brain enter the equation!" That's real right there! You can talk yourself outta exercise and eating right with the quickness! It was a good reminder! :-)
Training my feet in Seattle!
Anyhooo.....My 36th Birthday kicked off with a bang I went on an after work yacht cruise in Manhattan! Now I have been of boat rides in Maryland and in DC but there really is no place like New York City! It was amazing! Seeing the skyline, the Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges! Great way to spend my birthday!
The fab me!
Sisters
Skee Phi
The world is mine!
Food from the trips b/c I know how yall do!! lol
Crabcakes with egg benedict~ Delish!
King salmon!
Yeah I did!
2 kinds of salmon and they tasted like humm hummm good!
Bread pudding :-)
I have must admit I have not been to the gym since the day before my birthday which would mean tomorrow would be two weeks! Yikes!!! Time flies and I been busy I guess but no need to make excuses I am going back to Krav Maga today!
Well I am soooooooooo sore! I have done Krav Maga three days in a row and in those three days EVERYTHING and I mean everything hurts! Even the crease in between my arms lol. Last night I was sooooo not feeling the gym between having to go in on my normal work from home day and then TOM and the heat I was telling myself forget it. Dawn was not feeling well so she texted me earlier to say she couldn't make it and that played in my head all day and I went back and forth about it. I was driving home and thinking about my goals and said just do it. Music is a good motivator and I just crankked my radio up and got there as fast as I could before I could talk myself out of it! I was feeling like blah yesterday and just couldn't seem to feel like normal. But I know Krav Maga and exercise in general could only help and it did. Whatever I was feeling came out in the form of anger and aggression and I left it there on the Krav Maga mat.
This class was brutal in fact it was the same instructor who taught Heavy Bag on Sunday that has me all bruised up on my legs from kicking the heavy bag! It was Krav Maga Level 1 and let me tell you it kicks butt every time without fail! We began by running back and forth and rotating our arms and then we did punches and then we learned how to do some more hammer fist strikes. Since Dawn was out I tried to pull the closest woman to me and it was a nice woman we met on Sunday. She said she's been out because in one of the knife skills lessons someone hurt her hand in some odd way and she nearly fractured it! So she was not allowed to practice until it was healed! YIKES!
I told her about my few scrapes and she was like "Ohhh that's nothing check this out!" And pulled up her pants leg and exposed this hugeeeeeeeeeeee black and blue mark on her inner thigh! Dawn & I looked at each other and back and her as she was smiling from ear to ear! People who do Krav Maga got issues! Oh... Granted she is white and so her skin is pale but that joint looked like it hurt bad!
Wrist grabs cause pain
Anyway we begin most classes by tagging each other on the shoulder. Its like it sounds you get a partner and try to "tag" or tap them on their shoulder. In the Bronx we called in slap boxing lol but it works you out cardio wise and helps with aim and focus.
This was weird because these people (lol) Monday night people were blocking my tags I was like why yall hitting me? On Wednesday in Mike's class we just tag and keep it moving! Anyway after a few minutes she said "Wow you are good you hit like the guys, I never like girl partners b/c they hit too soft!" Well that's a compliment in this world! lol A/w we switch up partners and eventually I end up with this cuteee chocolate brother. Well that's just distracting! I kept trying to get rid of him but couldn't so we stuck it out all class.
We learned a new kick well its an ole' one instead of a knee to the groin it was a kick...using a tombstone pad of course. The instructor said it is like kicking a soccer ball and we had to remember...
"Our target was NOT the groin b/c there are no groins in Krav Maga rather the target is the head and his groin just happens to get in the way of your kick!" *insert smile here*
All the men groaned! LOL Jokes and comedy! A/w it was a good class that ended with one person in the middle of 3 others getting pushed while their eyes were closed and they had to use hammer fist on one person until another rammed them with their tombstone andddd repeat like some weird padded mosh pit.
Talk about wearing you out!!! It was maybe a minute and a half but felt like an hour! Most of our drills last about 2 minutes the thought behind it is a real fight only lasts about 30 seconds to 1 minutes before the winner starts to emerge so if we partice more than that we get conditioned to go hard. faster. longer. stonger. (smile-song of thr week!)
Spmehow I was the only girl in a group of guys and I did good! Whew! What a way to end the day...well almost end the day...
I checked my bb b/c I got text from the new guy earlier asking what I was up to and I told him I was debating the gym and he texted saying he would like to see me. :-)
I called him back after class to see what he wanted to do and although he is a computer geek by day lol and does photography on the side and he said he got a new lense and maybe we could go to a park and take some pictures with it. I said cool! I told him I love photography but I've never taken a class outside of high school and he said he hasn't either he has a mentor (a pretty well known one in fact) and reads a lot of books and takes a lot of pictures! Cool! I thought it would be nice to actually learn from a professional so we met up and went to a nearby park.
Now what I thought was we were going to do nature shots you know birds, trees, bugs, flowers, the basics and he says well ok pose! LOL I said ohhh we are taking pictures of me?! Well he doesn't know me well so he didn't know I stay ready although I would have straighten my hair out at least lol but it was spur of the minute so it was no biggie I had fun and he taught me a few things about lighting and how to adjust your flash etc... Let me just say...Photography is complicated!
The pictures I snap are for fun but if I really want to look into doing it for real I need to start thinking long and hard about getting a good camera and learning the basics. He said a lot of things can't be taught some people just have an "eye" and its all about practice. Makes sense. We had a nice evening that ended with us going to Rita's for ice cream. He has a convertible and that is cool. He doesn't seem like a convertible guy. He also has a mototcycle! Again hard to picture that and he has a tatto...that he got in Vegas lol he sooo doesn't look like the type lol
Anyway here are a few of the pictures. I am down another 2 pounds so that 81.8 total (again) so only 18.2 to goal (again) lol I laugh but I am so serious about staying focused. I have to be. The Jumping June Challenge is still going strong and people are really making changes and working with each other and encouraging each other. I really put an intention out there to draw like minded people. I think we often feel like of course we want like minded people around us but how many of us actually make that desire or request to have positive, helpful, caring, people around? I stopped taking things for granted and started praying for what I want around me in a lot of aspects and well its nice to get what ya ask for!
Well its officially Day #3 of the Jumping June Health & Fitness Challenge! I have such an awesome group of people in the challenge I am really pumped up!!! In fact yesterday after work I went to Fleet Feet Baltimore to look into those new Vibram FiveFingers sneakers for my Krav Maga class! One of the other women used them and she was so light on her feet! Ok granted she like 90 pounds lol but she said she really liked them. They are funky they are like gloves for feet! My Personal Trainer Charles Harris has them and he's been recommending them.
I needed something else after the Krav Maga roadkill incident I realized while my Brooks are light weight for other workouts like Step and lifting weights I felt like I was walking in mud and could barely keep my legs moving and stay on the balls of my feet. Welllllll I went and tired...to try them on and darn near dislocated my middle finger trying them on...and that was with help lol
So they were a no go even though I thought they would have been cool to be apart of the trend. Function not fashion!!!! A/w I went to law school with one of the owners/son of the owners and he always takes care of me so he recommended another light weight shoe Saucony Hattori Running Shoe!
Krav Maga ready!
Well it slipped on like... well like a slipper!
It is only 4 ounces! It feels like air! I moved around the store and it felt like I was in my socks but I had good comfort and agility while having support! Of course he always knows I am up to something so he asked what are you doing now so I told him Krav Maga so he said they would be good because a lot of people are doing Crossfit are using them! So I said "Bet they actually have a hybrid CrossFit Class called Krav Fit!" So two for one! I also needed another pair of Brooks. I got the last one about 6 months ago and in all honesty they say sneakers last about 6-8 months when you are at my level of activity. I actually wait until I feel a difference and this week my right foot really started to hurt to the point of limping! So it was time and so there went $200.00 outta my life (well in the form of cash anyway) in a 15 minute shopping spree and not a pretty dress or MAC product in sight! LOL but I ain't mad! Since I know I am sticking with Krav Maga I need to gear up properly and footwear is key!
I got a few other things as well b/c I also realized that I have longggg days and you need to be 100% in Krav Maga so I also bought some of those caffeine jelly beans I used for the Triathlon.
The whole pack is 100 calories and I only had about 2 or 3 right before class. I am not a coffee drinker so one or two is fine for me and I felt the difference last night. Kinda like how I realized people who do triathlons and marathons are a little off and really the body isn't meant to do that therefore these supplements are created to help you push your crazy self...I realized the level of exertion in Krav Maga requires more than just my raw energy! Especially after working 8 hours and commuting 3 hours (on a lucky day)!
I also picked up more of the Honey Stinger waffles I mentioned before. they were inspired by Lance Armstrong and they have a new vanilla flavor! It was very good! Its good quick fuel while I am on the go. It has 160 cals/7 fat/1 fiber. I also went to The Vitamin Shoppe and got 4 packs of my EAS protein Shakes because I was alllll out!
Anyway last night's class went a lot better and this instructor (the one who choked me a few weeks back) had us do the same run, slam, run drill and I did it without becoming roadkill! *Clapping*
Yesterday's class was brutal! I mean brutal! By the time we were half way through my hands were shaking uncontrollably! Notice I said halfway through! Anyway we learned how to break free of wrist grabs there were 4 different ways based on how the person grabbed you. As we go along I will start taking more pictures of these things the class just goes so fast its hard remember or ask anyone! LOL
Well it was fun until we took a break and my wrist were throbbing and I looked down and saw THIS
Grabbing wrist is serious bizz-nezz! :-(
I don't know the true culprit but I don't suspect it was Dawn me thinks it was the guy we worked with the day before and by "worked with" I mean the man Mike and I stomped on the ground...lol
After gulping some water I said with a lot of base my voice "NOAH! You see this *pointing to wrist* I'mma see you about this in November! Not now though but in 5 months its me and you!" And I ended my threat with the eye finger motion from Meet The Fockers (lol) The class busted out laughing then Dawn reminder us well in November Noah is going to be even better too! True. I didn't think of that! LOL
All in all a good day worked on more hammer fist and punches and my knuckles are sore! I went home and cooked dinner (I will do another post on the food find) and had a great night's rest. When I woke up this morning though I could not make a fist with my left hand! That was kinda freaky! And yesterday I got a toe cramp! I have never had that happen before! The pain in my hand stopped by 10am or so and I guess that means I learned how to punch the proper way and I will go back to using my gloves and handwraps!
Day #3's challenge will be getting in 30 minutes (minimum) of exercise since there is no Krav Maga and I really want to see X-Men: The First Class so I planned to skip the gym but there will be time to do something on On Demand or Wii Fit so that is the plan!
Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge Sex & The City fan! I love, love, love that show! I love it because I feel like I relate very well to the characters and I think that is/was the thing about that show it transcends age, race, religion, education, and even class boundaries and talks about every day life and how amazing it can be with all its ups and downs... Well speaking of downs...
There is a great episode when Carrie is asked to be a model for D&G at Fashion Week! HUGE HUGE HUGE! I remember watching the episode and clapping for her! lol Yes the made up character! I know!
Anyway if you recall the episode it goes down hill very quickly! First the outfit she was forced to wear was a glitter bikini bottom and a flowly big shirt. Why size 0 Carrie was disturbed I duuno but she gets over it and she feels great and confident and gets going down the runway and as the beat of the music starts the song "Got to be realllll" is pumping she looks good, feels good and takes about 5 perfect steps...and then.... falls flat on her face!! I gasped! As did her friends! Yes the ones on TV! LOL
A/w as Carrie tries to collect herself (and her dignity) here comes another model who walks right over her! I mean I guess the show must go on!!!! Her gay male BFF Stanford exclaims "Oh My God! She's fashion roadkill!" LOLOL Classic!
Ouch!
Well of ALL the many moments I could relate or would hope (read Vivienne Westwood wedding dress) to relate to Carrie....I NEVER thought this would be one! But alas...I...was... Krav Maga roadkill yesterday yall!
Picture this! Its 6pm and I am tired! I got up early caught the 6am bus and made it to my desk by 7am and I had a very busy day! But it was Day #1 of the Jumping June Challenge and I had to get my exercise in! The plan was to do Krav Maga and so I have talked about our classes they are beyond high intensity! And there is no "warm up" in the aerobic class sense so we begin by jogging around the room and shaking out our hands and rotating our arms and push ups and what not!
Well to mix it up Crazy Mike says "Run in a circle and when I yell 'DOWN' stop where you are squat down and slam your hands on the mat and get up and run in the opposite direction."
Ok so let me get this straight "Run in a circle until I hear him bark 'DOWN' then I have to squat down on the mat slam my hands on the ground and get right back up and run in the opposite direction andddddd repeat"
Well why the hell couldn't I do that!? Next thing I knew I was running and my legs gave out and I went splat! Alllllllllllll over the floor! And it was NOT graceful... it was not JUST a lil trip...I went SPLAT like Carrie did! lol
Runway Roadkill
And them jokers in class did me like the model did Carrie and ran right around me! LOL
KRAV MAGA ROAD KILL! LOL
I got up and said well let's try that again! I am still a Level 1 Newbie so I am guessing they have seen that before because no one flinched and no one asked me if I was ok either lol Certainly the class could only go up from there! LOL
It was a very intense workout. We did a lot of hammer fist drills, elbow drills, and choking drills. A hammer fist can best be describes and punching someone with the side of your fist. Or as Mike explained it when the cops come banging on your door at 2 am that's the way they knock *pow pow pow* lol Ahhh yeahh that! Apparently its also a good way to take someone out and injury the soft parts of their face if you are in close combat range... just for the record.
The Krav Maga mindset is really something. It is the weirdest thing to have someone choke you and the Instructor told us to really choke like apply pressure because out in the street the bad guy isn't gonna just hold your neck gently sow e are not doing each other any favors by being nice. Make sense! I was drenched by the end of the class and almost delirious when mike asked us to do another set of Burpees!
I am not a fan of Burpees (click the link to see it) It can best be described as doing the following: Begin in a squat position with hands on the floor in front of you Kick your feet back to a pushup position Immediately return your feet to the squat position Leap up as high as possible from the squat position
Repeat, moving as fast as possible
They are EVIL and they are particularly evil after punching tombstones, getting elbowed and being choked!!! *eye roll*
But the difference between Krav Maga and other cardio is that Krav Maga is combat training and the idea is to wear you out and still be able to defend yourself. They simulate that in the classroom so if you find yourself in danger you already know what it is like and can slowly train your body to use the adrenaline to respond but it a more prepared manner. That's real!
I was soaked like I said and sore! I slept with my heating pad but didn't take any medication. As they say Pain is weakness leaving the body! Later yall!
Whewwwwwwwwww that's a mouthful ain't it lol Well its June 1st people!! Can you believe that?!?! Seriously where did the time go?! I have no clue but I am excited about June and its possibilities! So much so I created this Jumping June Health & Fitness Challenge on My Fitness Pal I did a call for my sorors and other friends and got a pretty huge response! Some of the details are below:
1. As a group our goal is to Exercise daily- Please commit to at least 30 minutes a day for the 30 days of June
(1- 30 minute session, 3 -10 minutes, 2 -15 minutes is ok!)
2. Pick 4 goals to share with the group for June they can be workout related, food related, water related. (Try something new like hot yoga, stay with my calories/points, journal daily)
3. Check in daily on the board to support and encourage each other!
Please reply to the message board with (1) your name, (2) Your 4 goals, and (3) whatever anchor you will use for the 30 day challenge (in WW an anchor is something that keeps your focused. It can be a quote, picture, or saying!)
Here is mine!
Name: Cylia/LawyerGal1908
My 4 Goals:
1. Lose 10 pounds
2. Drink at least 60 oz of water
3. Do Bikram Yoga at least once per week
4. Weigh in daily
My anchor:
Fitness - if it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body. ~Cher
The scale is moving downward *insert happy dance here* and I am 18 pounds away from my recycled goal! It feels good and I did it with hard work vs. a stomach virus lol I had a hard workout yesterday with my personal trainer Charles! And I found out my Chizel It contract is up so I opted not to renew since I still have the Brick Bodies membership and now I have Krav Maga! That is sooo much money and I said a few months ago i would cut back. I know as long as I am consistent I will be successful and Chizel It was a good game changer. I may reconsider later on but for now I will stick with the personal training and really get into the Krav Maga.
My goal is to test out of the Level 1 group in 6 months (well 5 now) and that is going to take a lot of hard work and dedication. I mentioned it before but the test is 5 hours long! 5 hours! You got to be on point to even try it, forget passing it! So I am on it! Speaking of which this is what my week looks like:
Weds- Krav Maga Level 1
Thurs-Level 1 or Thai pads
Friday- Going to see X men! Whoo hoooo!!
Saturday- Body Pump, Spinning, & possible Level 1 Krav Maga
Sunday- I am going to do the Intro to Krav Fit class & Heavy Bags
I am looking forward to finally being able to take the Krav Fit intro class! It looks like a harddd workout! The description gives you a clue!
KravFitKravFit takes the concept of being "fighting fit" to a whole new level! Based on a workout of the day (WOD), students will be given a new workout each day that is designed to exhaust every energy pathway. Some days the workout must be completed as quickly as possible while on others the workout must be repeated as many times as possible in a given time frame. These full-body, all-energy workouts will leaving you tired, exhausted, and in better shape than you ever thought possible!
Sounds like what I need! And I set my goal at 10 pounds weight loss but really there is nothing that says I cant lose all 18 pounds in 30 days! Nothing I tell you! I am not going to push the limits but there is no telling how switching up my workouts will pan out on the scale.... Just saying! So stay tuned!!! :-)
Some of you may know I have a love/hate relationship with Beyonce mostly because she married my man! But I had to kick off the Challenge with this video this morning! I love the line "A lil sweat ain't never hurt nobody!" So I presented a throw back question from my weight loss in 2006 which was WWBD? ~~ What Would Beyonce Do?! Its a good lil mantra when you want fried chicken or something off program I always remember when she lost some weight she talked about her love of fried chicken and how she had to stop having it for a while! That was a light bulb moment she didn't say she didn't want the Popeye's just she had to stop having it while she was working so hard on her goal! Nothing wrong with that!
