Author: cheriarmour

Body Attack in Review

| cheriarmour

Two mornings ago, I dragged my butt out of bed to go to something called Body Attack, a class that is in the Les Mills family.  Les Mills, by the way, is the umbrella under which Body Pump falls.  Body Pump is that toning and weightlifting class I’ve been taking.  But I digress.

So I dragged my butt out of bed because I knew my favorite Body Pump teacher would be teaching this called Body Attack.  I get there, and I started off a little skeptically.

Screen Shot 2014-05-29 at 9.23.03 PMI was skeptical, but as I looked around, I saw a lot of the folks that were regulars at Body Pump, and the class was pretty packed, especially for 5:45am.

Instead of the class being dancey or boppy, like the classes I’m sort of used to taking the class involved some plyometrics, aerobic exercises, and high energy interval trainings that sort of reminded me of when I would go off on my own and do some of the Nike Training Center (NTC) workouts on my phone.

As the class went on, I felt like it got a little less weird, and the class morphed into exactly what I needed, especially some of the plyometric exercises that involved me holding and working with my own body weight.  Especially in my upper-body, this is something I’d like to try to develop.  Additionally, the class involved a good bit of running around the studio, something that I feel so at ease with.  So between the running the development of some sweet strength, I think me and Body Attack (and Monica, the fabulous teacher) will get along just great.

So, when you go to try this class out, definitely give the class a little longer than the warm-up, which definitely feels strange, and you will fall in love.

**As a side note, the adorably amazing teacher, who can bust out like a million push ups, kept saying “jack it” when she wanted us to fly into some jumping jacks.  I could not stop laughing.  I have the maturity of a 15-year-old I know.**

The year 2009

| cheriarmour

The Timehop app has been treating me to all of these seriously traumatizing photos, and I decided to take a little walk down memory lane to walk you guys through what I was up to nearly 5 years ago, in 2009.  I also feel it right to mention that I totally got this idea from Becca Dorr, who recounted her 2005.  Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure I can’t think that far back, so 2009 it is!

1234881_10100329684601393_8666914097420434132_nIn 2009:

  • I one time skipped an 8 am class by accident because I spent the entire night before imbibing.  Cheap wine.  I emailed the professor and told her I was sick.  Later that day, I saw said professor on campus.  Super awkward.  Had to pretend my headache was due to a condition, and not due to the fact that me and a few friends got a little rowdy the night before.
  • Barack Obama was well into his first term, and it was really really cool to be a youngster at the time that history was being made.
  • I was dating someone who I literally broke up with 65 times over the course of that year.  When it was done, I thought my life was over.  It’s funny how much time changes, right?
  • I moved to Raleigh.  Was not a huge fan at first, but it really grew on me.
  • Michael Jackson died.  My sister called me sobbing, and the next few days were insane, as the world tried to figure out what went wrong with him.
  • The recession was raging strong.  That was not a fun year to be a grad.  Come to think of it, 2011 (when I graduated my Masters) wasn’t the best time either.
  • Remember when that guy landed the plane in the Hudson?
  • Also, the swine flu. Yick.
  • I got hired at CPT, a Pennsylvania weight loss camp, and, my life started to change (for the total better)!

What to you remember about 2009?

Splenda and the Judgey Moms Committee

| cheriarmour

Okay, so yesterday, I’m not sure if you caught it, but a sort of funny study and the results were released.  And not funny, like HA HA, but funny like hm.  You get it.

image via wikipedia.org
image via wikipedia.org

Basically, the study was industry-funded.  Two groups of folks, all weighing on average over 200 pounds were divided, and folks who were permitted to drink diet sodas, on average, lost a little bit more weight than folks who were banned from drinking sodas all together.

If you are a complete idiot, you might read the study to say to “drink diet soda rather than water to lose weight,” however, if you are a reasonable human being who thinks critically, you might think just as I did.  The folks who went cold turkey off of soda had a bit of an easier time than folks who “stairstepped” their way off of drinking regular sodas.  Because for a lot of people, going cold turkey is really really challenging, and ends up screwing them in the end.  I am one of those people.

The rub was, the “judgey moms committee,” as I’ve dubbed them, got themselves all up in arms about the findings of the study yesterday.

The Judgey Moms Committee (JMC)

The Judgey Moms Committee is a committee of, well, judgey moms who like to get themselves all up in arms about many things, and then write really really angry Facebook posts about them, a lot of times, without reading into what it is, and getting the facts.

Topics that the JMC members get really upset about are not limited to:

  • Aspartame
  • Sugar
  • How to parent other people’s children
  • Judging other mothers negatively
  • The age at which it’s appropriate to stop breastfeeding, which is truthfully no one’s business
  • Gwenyth Paltrow (they usually either love her or hate her, there is no in-between)
  • Miley Cyrus

The JMC was out in full-force yesterday to speak out on this study.  So here’s what I say on the study, its findings, and diet soda as it pertains to health, wellness, and weight loss.

  1. Diet soda is not good for you.  Duh, but I really needed to put that out there.  I am not saying that it’s good for you, so be smart.
  2. Many, many studies are industry-funded.  So yes, the findings of this study should make you raise an eyebrow, however, the findings of a lot of studies should make you do that.  Do your own research, and figure out what may be best for you and your family.  Do the benefits of whatever this is outweigh this risks?  That is for you to determine.
  3. For the soda-drinkers out there….what kind of quitter are you?  Are you a cold turkey kinda gal/guy?  Or do you did a little bit of something else to motivate you through that?
  4. Though diet soda, and the things that it’s sweetened with are not at ALL the best thing for you, I strongly believe that diet sodas and artificial sweeteners can be a valuable tool to ease someone that’s not living the healthiest lifestyle, into a healthier phase of life.  I know, I know.  Insert your horrified gasps here.  But I believe it to be true.  Cold turkey is really hard and unsustainable for a lot of folks.  So maybe someone like me, who guzzled Coke like it was going out of style can benefit from Diet Coke instead.  After I graduated, and began teaching a ton of classes, I stepped it to club soda, water, and water infusions.  The same went for my addiction to sugar and sweets.  I started by cutting down the sugar I was eating and drinking, and moving to something like Splenda or Truvia.  When I was good and ready, I stepped it down, and now, though I admit I still enjoy my sweets, I don’t feel the compulsion to shove them into my face like I did before.  So while I’m not suggesting you go on a strict diet of Coke Zero and cheesecakes fashioned with Splenda, I think a little bit, especially in a time of transition, can really help you go a long way.
photo (1)
On the right is Coke-guzzling, non-working out Cher, from about 5 years ago. I actually got a little bigger after this. On the left is much-healthier, much better-feeling Cher, eating mostly clean with the occasional treat snuck in. I was busting out of the dress, which didn’t fit at one point, and now, it totally doesn’t fit. Shame though, that dress was cute!

Tell me what you think about all of this buzz?! Who else loves club soda the way I do?

Luluemon Run Club

| cheriarmour

So first, look at this thing I made today.

photo 2I had a hankering for Chinese food, so instead of getting a big greasy box of rice noodles, I went for my own.  Super yummy, and I ate WAYY too much of it instead of splitting it like I was planning to for lunch.  As a result, if you need me, I will be running laps around the parking lot of my building.  (Jk!)

Hoookay, so guess what I did today?  I didn’t work out this morning cause I wasn’t feeling up to it, so I made a deal with myself that I had to find something to make me sweat.  I kinda remembered that the Lululemon in North Hills had a running group meeting up, so without too much into, I totally went for it.  So glad I did!

The group was a small, but super cozy group, and we headed down Lassiter Mill to start off our run.  I hung with Caitlin, who works for Lululemon, and chatted while we pretty easily cruised through four miles.  Fun fact, going up the hill was not fun, but it made for some really good conversation!

Wanna see what this chick looks like after a 4-miler in sweltering heat and humidity?

photo 1Don’t worry, I will be back at the Lululemon giant mirror to take selfies often 🙂

But on the real, Raleigh peoples, especially in the North, check this little group out.  They were awesome, and I truly felt like the girls there were some of the nicest girls possible.  They’re [unfortunately] not paying me to say this 🙂 but check out their small but mighty running group, Wednesday evenings at 6pm.

On that note, I had such good convo with some of the Lemons there – you ever meet someone and feel like you would be great friends with them cause you have so much in common? 

Maya Angelou

| cheriarmour

I didn’t feel like it was appropriate to post anything but to express my sadness at the news this morning, that 86-year-old Maya Angelou was found unresponsive in her Winston-Salem home.

In a sense, it’s sad, the world has suffered such a huge loss.  However, in another sense, you look at what she’s accomplished over her 86 years, and it’s almost selfish to keep her all for ourselves right?  So, in the words of Franchesca, Rest in Power, Maya Angelou.

Also, Buzzfeed did an awesome job covering this. Check it out here.

Wedding Wednesday: the weight issue.

| cheriarmour

Don’t know if you know, but there was a big wedding this past  weekend…

image via E!
image via E!

I texted one of my bridesmaids and asked her if it made me a huge sap that I thought the two of these guys looked legitimately happy…seriously, they seem super pumped, whereas if you remember the special when she married the Hump, things were not as rosy.  (Seriously, do you guys remember the fact that the two didn’t talk in the days leading up to their rehearsal dinner?  Oy.

Okay, so I’ve been working on a few things on my end, this being one of those things.

IMG_3848I’ve got a million more jars, and a million more coming, so I’m happy, but also staring to get a little anxious and starting to doubt my ability to get all of this finished.  I know I can do it, it’s just a matter of wrapping my brain around that.

But today, I want to turn my our attention to something else that I’m struggling with a little bit.

The weight before the wedding thing.

So I’ve seen this hashtag a few times over the past few months.

#sweatingforthewedding

And though I don’t have a weight problem, and I work out extremely regularly, there is this gnawing at the back of my mind, and I honestly think it’s a little bit of pressure from other brides.  And the nagging, needling question is, should I be worried about my weight?  Should I be pushing myself to lose 5 pounds to ensure that I look impossibly thin in my photos?  

And I know the answer to that question – I’m healthy.  I’m at a great weight.  I take care of myself.  And I still treat myself.  But occasionally, those thoughts try and creep in.

Any other brides feel this way? 

Fitness Instructor No-No

| cheriarmour

So, I touched on this super briefly a few weeks ago, but I was super super taken aback by something that a fitness instructor said to us during an early morning Body Pump Class a few weeks ago.

Me, some teachers, and a few students at the fabulous Loretta Bates' class!
Me, some teachers, and a few students at the fabulous Loretta Bates’ class!

So that morning, the instructor, who was really only okay (her form looked a little shaky, which isn’t safe for us students), was teaching us, and as the class crescendoed to a big lifting song, she said something a little…off.

“Come on ladies, it’s getting warmer out, and it’s time to get into those bikinis!”

My neck nearly snapped off when I heard that.

But as a fitness instructor, saying something like this is a huge no-no, and had something like that been said at the Cary YMCA for example, a talking-to, and a note would probably be in the file.

Here’s why.

As fitness instructors, our job is really to be ambassadors of fitness.  We present the safe, correct, and fun way for a group of folks to get their exercise in.  Our concern is not with our participants’ diet, what they look like in their clothes, or how well or badly they dance, it is to safely deliver them a good class.

When something like the bikini is mentioned, the focus shifts from health and wellness, and shifts to the wrong thing, in this case, the bikini.  Yes, some of us are motivated to look good, but overall when you feel good you look good, and the feel part is what we, as fitness instructors, should be concerned with.

Okay, rant completely over.  I just had to get that out 🙂

Coco

| cheriarmour

So over the weekend, we finally took Coco in for her comprehensive exam, because of how we got her.

So the way I got Coco (if you haven’t been around) was that a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend decided that they no longer wanted Coco, and with that, decided that they were going to take her to the pound.  I heard that, and could not let that happen, and sight unseen, agreed to take her in.  She was incredibly well-behaved, sweet, and got along well with my cat, so I had no issue.  Her worst problem is that sometimes, when I don’t take her out every second of the day, she’ll have a little accident on the carpet, which sparked the investment in the steam cleaner.

photo 1We took her in, and found out a few things about my dear girl.

For one, she’s never had doggie dental care, and is going to have some teeth pulled.  She had a few teeth broken, and is potentially in pain because of this.  Secondly, she has a wee bit of an infection in one of her ears.  And third, we’re watching a little bump on her chest which is probably just a fatty deposit.  Whew!

photo 2The moral of the story?  Send my little girl all your good vibes, because I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Coco has to live forever.  Secondly, take care of your pets.  It hurts me that my poor girl has never gotten some of these things that she needs and is now suffering as a result.

Okay, now tell me about your pets!

I discovered the Cartwheel App

| cheriarmour

First and foremost, with all of my usual joking aside, I hope you’re having a seriously awesome Memorial Day.  Please take a second (or more) and lift your servicemen up in a thought or a prayer, because we seriously live in one of the most amazing counties in the world.  We live in a country where we’re free to disagree, we have clean water, access to school, housing, nice roads, and that’s pretty incredible, especially coming from 2 developing nations (Haiti and Trinidad).

So moment of silence.

Annnnd, I’d like you welcome you guys back to the blog.  I took Sunday off of writing to clean, do some wedding things, take a 5-mile trail run with a friend (where I did not sprain my ankle, hallelujah), so I hope you can forgive the absence while I caught up on life and things.

photo
For this one, I actually put on longer socks and did some trail shoes, which seemed to help – also focused on picking my feet up to avoid tripping and twisting my ankle again.

So, I’m sure, you’ve gathered from the blog that budgeting and saving money is something that I’m starting to get into. Yes, I know it should have been something I had been into for a long time, but when I was not making as much money, it was easier to be short-sighted. Now that I’m getting married, and it’s not just me, it’s important to save, get into good habits, and get rid of that lurking student loan debt that I want gone ASAP.

So yesterday, I discovered the Cartwheel App from Target.

Screen Shot 2014-05-26 at 2.18.26 PMNumero uno, Super Target is one of the best and cheapest places, in my opinion to get your groceries.  Will you get the incredible selection that you will get at Harris Teeter?  Absolutely not.  But I’ve been ridiculously impressed with the price, and the selection is sometimes randomly good.  Additionally, it’s not Wal-Mart so that’s a plus.

So I’d been seeing this Cartwheel app pop up on Facebook, and additionally a lot of my mommy blogger friends have mentioned the app when they’re talking about saving moola.

So finally, during yesterday’s trip I used the app, and was able, between the app and picking some good stuff, to save almost $15.00 on a nearly $200 order.  YIPEE!!!!  Why did I never discover this awesome app before?

No matter, I think it’s amazing, and if you’re into saving money and you shop at Target, download this app and get to saving!  It’s fun!