Metro Dash!

My workouts never get too stale because I love to challenge myself by trying new things. The world of fitness is ever changing, and I enjoy keeping up with current trends. Over just the past year, I have competed in both a Warrior Dash and a Tough Mudder race, attended a TRX Suspension Training workshop and HOT HULA® fitness instructor training, as well as attended a myriad Zumba® instructor workshops and master classes. My most recent fascination is the Metro Dash, and I am registered to attempt it March 17th in Atlanta.

The Metro Dash is an obstacle course race created by Navy Seals, and packed into an area the size of a football field. It requires sprinting 600 yards with climbing, crawling, pulling, pushing, and carrying heavy things. It is not an endurance race, but a full on test of strength and power! The average competitor finishes the race in about 15 minutes, and if a participant is unable to complete an obstacle, he or she is penalized with 20 burpees, which must be completed before joining back into the race.



Although I work out regularly, I started training specifically for this competition last week. One day I went to the park and climbed up and down the climbing wall and monkey bars, then flipped heavy tractor tires and jumped hurdles. Another day I pulled and pushed tires with weights in them to simulate a weight sled, and then carried heavy dumbbells around the gym on my shoulders.

Today I went to an old school with lots of monkey bars. I crossed them several times, until the rusty, unmaintained bars pulled a callous from my hand. I don't wear weightlifting gloves because, during my powerlifting days around 10 years ago, we used chalk to help us grip the bar, especially when deadlifting, and I never got into the habit of wearing them. I feel that I get a better grip without them, although they do protect the skin.

Competing in races gives me a goal to accomplish, and makes my workouts seem like they mean more than just a regular routine. I get fired up over new challenges, and I feel like participating in different kinds of workouts improves my overall fitness level. I will be posting lots of pictures after completing the Metro Dash on March 17th so stay tuned!

Plagued by the Silent Killer

Last week I went into a health clinic for a regularly scheduled physical, and came out questioning some of my own eating habits. I got blood work, urinalysis, and all kinds of other tests done that the technicians perform to assess health levels. I consider myself to be in very good physical condition, and I have always had optimal results on these kinds of tests. Not this time.

The nurse practitioner couldn't believe it, and tried again to be sure, but she got the same reading. My blood pressure is high. I scored excellent on all other tests, so it was bit of a shock. My reading isn't considered hypertension, but it's very close. Hypertension, when blood pressure is high enough to require some type of modification, is defined as anything higher than 140/90. Last week, at the clinic, it was 138/90, and I took it again last night and got 138/79. I am actually surprised it was lower yesterday because my son was pitching a fit in the middle of the store while I was taking it.

High blood pressure is nicknamed "The Silent Killer" because it has no signs or symptoms. It is dangerous because it makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body, and it also contributes to hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, and the development of heart failure.

The nurse practitioner and I discussed my habits. I truly do not think I am mentally stressed, and that is a huge risk factor for high blood pressure. My son frustrates me sometimes, and I stay busy all the time, but I consider myself to be a happy person with a relatively drama free life. I exercise regularly, I'm not overweight, I don't smoke or excessively consume alcohol, so the only other lifestyle factor that could contribute to high blood pressure is my diet.

I don't eat much fried or greasy, fatty foods. I try to choose lean sources of protein, and eat lots of vegetables every day. When I am selecting food at the grocery store, I always check out the calories, protein, and fat, but skip right over the sodium. I honestly thought only older people had to worry about salt content. When I cook, to make up for lack of butter, oil, or fat in recipes, I heavily season almost everything.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I often eat Morningstar Farms, Amy's, or Boca meatless products because they're high in protein, low in fat, and simple to prepare. I also consume several bags of Steamfresh vegetables daily. These foods appear to be healthy, but they are all loaded with sodium. One veggie patty has 20% of the recommended daily allowance for sodium, as does one serving of steamed veggies in seasoned sauce. I usually consume two patties and three servings of veggies at each meal, so that is 100% of what I am supposed to have in one meal, but I usually eat five or six times per day. When I look at the numbers, I can't believe how much salt I take in every day.

Having high blood pressure really bothers me. I am a fitness professional, and I should be setting an example for all those around me. I am way too young to be experiencing heart disease risk factors. I am determined to do everything in my power to bring my blood pressure down. I know that all it will take is a little extra work and preparation. I went to the grocery store last night, and for the first time in my life, I checked the sodium content of every single thing before I put it in my shopping cart.

I selected lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. I purchased several giant packs of boneless, skinless chicken breast. I did buy some frozen vegetables, but I made sure they weren't smothered in seasonings. For snacks, I choose Greek yogurt, unsalted nuts, and low sodium granola bars and cereal. I stocked up on sodium-free seasonings such as Mrs. Dash, cilantro, oregano, chives, and other herbs.

I spent my Sunday evening preparing food for the rest of the week. I baked about 10 whole chicken breasts, seasoned with sauteed onions and garlic, Ms. Dash, oregano, and chives. I also cooked some vegetables and prepared a salad. The food was absolutely delicious. I know I can continue to plan my meals ahead of time. My health depends on it.

Zumba® Fundraiser at Leapin' Lizards Party and Fun Zone!

I am so excited to be part of a charity event to benefit the Easter Seals Disability Foundation! We will have a fun Zumba Fitness Master Class Saturday, February 25th, from 9:30 - 11:00 am at Leapin' Lizards Party and Fun Zone at 416 Dale Lane, right off St. Augustine Rd, across from Blanton Commons Apartments. Children are welcome to come and play on the inflatables for regular admission price, with that going to charity as well.

The South Georgia Chapter of Easter Seals does a lot around the community to assist children and adults with special needs and disabilities. Their therapists, teachers, and health professionals help individuals overcome obstacles to reach independence and provide support. Easter Seals provides vocational service programs, community living support, residential services, and much more. I am very confident the funds we raise with our Zumba class will be put to good use right here in South Georgia.

The Master Class will consist of an hour and half of Zumba, led by six different local instructors. Participants will groove to easy-to-follow dance moves set to catchy, upbeat international rhythms. With all the variety of flavor, this will certainly be a fitness party to remember!

The class will begin at 9:30, but we will have some local businesses displaying their goods and services prior to class. If you are interested in becoming a vendor please contact me via email using the tab at the top of the page or by calling 229.415.3782, or call Leapin' Lizards Party and Fun Zone at 229.469.4406.

Leapin' Lizards will open for children to play and bounce at 9:00 am. Cost is $7.50 for ages 4 and up, and $5.50 for ages 1 to 3. All proceeds collected from 9:00 - 11:00 will go to the Easter Seals Disability Foundation. Make this charity event a whole family affair!

Jam Out!

I have been teaching Zumba® for close to four years, and I am nowhere near sick of it. I am always hungry to learn ways to improve my classes. Exercise is my passion, and I love helping other people fall in love with it like I did. Over the weekend, I went to Gainesville, Florida for a Zumba® instructor choreography jam session to learn some new choreography to use in my classes.

Jam sessions are led by licensed Zumba® jammers, and during each three hour session, five songs are broken down by the jammer, and practiced with the partipants. After attending the session, we have new choreography that we can use in our classes right away. For this particular session, participants were lucky enough to have three jammers: Cristiane Machado from Gainesville, Bianca Ayala from South Florida, and Hugo Garrido from Minnesota.

I create most of my own choreography for my Zumba® classes. I've been doing Zumba® for so long, that when I hear a song, I envision dance moves to the rhythm without even thinking. A lot of the moves I come up with are very repetitive. I am always interested in learning new styles, and seeing how other instructors choreograph songs. Every instructor comes from a different background, and it's fun to see how individual instructors put their own dance moves to music. I love to get fresh ideas from other people to help make my classes better.

Bianca broke down a Soca and a Bollywood for us first. They were both super high intensity, and got my heart rate sky high! The choreography was simple to learn, and I am positive I will be using both her songs this week in my classes. I use Soca and Bollywood rhythms often, but Bianca has different signature moves to go with each one, and I'm excited to introduce her style to my classes.

Hugo went next with a beautiful Cumbia and a fun Cha-Cha. The Cumbia I was able to pick up right away, but the Cha-Cha will take a little practice. One of the reasons I love attending choreography jam sessions is that the instructors often use rhthyms that I am not all that comfortable with, and it forces me to learn and practice. I seldom use Cha-Chas in my classes, so I am really looking forward to challenging myself with this one.

Cristiane taught us a Samba last. I already currently use the song we broke down, but we had a mini-Samba lesson, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The Samba is one of the hardest rhythms for Americans to catch onto, and most certainly a great work out! I was more than happy to practice and get some pointers for teaching this rhythm to my students. I would love to use more Samba in my classes.

This jam session was the seventh one I have attended. Not only do I get to experience the various styles of choreography the jammers have to offer, I also get to network with other instructors. One of the women I met at the HOT HULA fitness® workshop I attended last month was there, and I was able to practice a little Polynesian dancing on our break. I love going to these jam sessions. I always learn a great deal that helps me improve my instructing skills. I am looking forward to another jam next month!

21 Day Yoga Challenge Conclusion

For the past three weeks, I have been participating in Yoga Journal's 21 Day Yoga Challenge. I made a commitment to complete a yoga practice every single day for 21 days. The first two weeks, I was faithful about doing it daily, but I honestly slipped a little the last week.

Upon registration, I received an email that stated I would receive a link to a yoga video by email every morning for the duration of the challenge. Perhaps due to technical difficulties, I did not receive a video for three days in a row, and I just plain forgot to do it on those days, and that led to getting out of the habit. I could have logged in to the Yoga Journal website and made the effort to find the day's video (I discovered this later) but I got sidetracked and never did it.

I completed the same challenge last year, and I'm almost 100% sure that I received a video link every day for 21 days. I think it may have gotten quite a bit more popular this year, resulting in some technological problems. I can't complain too much because the whole thing is completely free!

I learned a lot, and was able to get back into the habit of practicing regularly. I thoroughly enjoyed all the videos. I was very, very impressed with one of the instructors. Elise Lorimer rocks! I love the way she tells you exactly what to do with every part of your body during each pose. She uses extremely descriptive language and her cute "uh-huhs" make practice more enjoyable. I searched online for a DVD of her classes, but I don't think she has one. I was able to find some good YouTube videos though. I will definitely be doing those at home in the future.

Although I wasn't completely successful at practicing every day for 21 days, I was able to become more mindful of my body, and even increase my flexibility a little. The best part was inspiring other people to practice. My sister Rebecca has now added a daily yoga practice including meditition to her routine, and this 21 Day Challange was a catalyst to that. Please let me know if this challenge has motivated you to practice regularly as well!