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Newly-engaged and irritated!

| cheriarmour

Kate. Bettah. WARKK!

Just had a baby and looking so fly! And if you think for a second I didn’t delay my post-run shower today to watch her emerge, flawless from the hospital, you haven’t been reading very long.

Kate

I have been having so much fun with this engagement.

Despite the fact that I have had my nails unpainted for a total of like 4 days since last November, I have put a little extra sauce into my nails since everyone wants to see my nails (or ring) now.

I love my fiance.  I love my jewelry.  I love the feeling of having a wedding to plan.  I love it when people refer to me as “The Future Mrs. Samples” (despite the fact that I’m keeping my last name.)  I cannot wait.

But there are a few things, as a almost-married lady, that irritate me.  Here they go.

  • Asking “are you happy now that you’re engaged?!”  Uh yes.  Absolutely duh.  My best friend in the whole world just asked me if he could spend the rest of his life with me.  Of course I’m happy.  If I was unhappy, you’d be concerned, right?
  • “He’s white!” Yes darling, my husband is white.  Wouldn’t it be odd if I prefaced our story with “Yea, he’s super-white.” Get your 2013 on folks, you love who you love!
  • “So, do you have a date yet?” Honies, I literally got engaged 2 weeks ago.  Can I enjoy it before I nail down a date?
  • “What are you wearing?” you payin’? Then wait for the Facebook album like everyone else?

So if yous have friends who are recently engaged, remember not to ask them annoying questions.  Love! Mwah!

(Also, ready for a combo running/lifestyle/health/wedding prep blog?  Me too :))

Okay, for all of you guys who are whining and moaning about how excited I am about the royal baby…

| cheriarmour

You can literally have a seat. Like. If you’re one of those people who’s an Oscar-the-Grouch, and you’re like “Oh why should I care about this again??” with your condescending tone, seriously, as the great philosophers Posh, Scary, Baby, and Ginger once said, “Spice up ya life.” Babies are fun. The royal family is a fun figurehead. And it’s so fun to get riled up about something when there’s so much bad stuff going on in the world. Calm down. I don’t make fun of you for caring about things like Nascar, and WWF, so cut us fun chickadees some slack.

Onto the good stuff!

My Heart
My Heart, my K-2 Zoo girls!

I left my heart in the Poconos this morning. For those of you who’ve been following along, my posts have been a little further and fewer between this week, as I’ve been blogging from the (dis)comfort of my iPhone all week from Camp Pocono Trails, a weight-loss camp in the Pocono Mountains. Seriously, if you’ve ever blogged from an iPhone, ouch, right? Anyhoo, camp was a blast. I taught Zumba, and played full-on role of counselor this week. And I loved it. Sure, I decided to come (unbeknownst to me,) in the thick of a stifling heat wave, and I literally had to change clothes 3 times a day because of how soaked I was from the workouts, and I looked like a wilted flower the entire time, but it was all in good fun.

I learned something while I was there, which is cool, because after like, three years at weight-loss camp, you think all your learning is done. I learned, during one of the evening activities, to establish a goal everyday. So I’ll be gosh-darned, I am going to try that. I’m training for a marathon, planning my wedding, moving apartments, among other insanity, and you know how I’m gonna get through it? I’m gonna wake up with a goal in mind every day. Sometimes I’ll share, sometimes I won’t, lest I tmi you with the minutiae of the upkeep it takes to be a girl, but today’s goal, as I wound my way down through the Delaware Water Gap? Blog for you guys, and run. Done, and done 🙂

Hydration Motivation

| cheriarmour

If you live on the east coast, you’ve been sweating for like a pig for the last week.

I was so tired of the heat in North Carolina, that I actually bragged to friends about the cool, breezy, humidity-free oasis that awaited me. Now, imagine my surprise when I arrived to Reeders, and it was 90 degrees with 77% humidity! And we work out in the big barn, so extra stinky, and extra hot.

Staying hydrated has been a challenge for all of us, so I bring you Cheri’s tips for Staying Wet (hydrated)

–8, 8 oz glasses is not necessarily a thing anymore it’s highly subjective, and a great starting point, but it’s really based on weight. So how can you guesstimate how much water you need, especially in heat like this?
–Bring a large bottle everywhere. I mean everywhere. Have it by your bedside, take it to breakfast, lunch and dinner. Keep it full, and literally sip it like you would a coffee from Starbucks, constantly.
-It’s gross, but check your pee. . If it’s a weird color, like super dark, or it smells weird, drink up.
–Spice up your water if you suck at drinking water, try sparkling. It’s kinda like soda, except it has zero flavor. Super delicious, and yore still getting some hydration.
–Skip the haterade Gatorade, and go for something like Nuun. Nuun less sugar and calories. If you must do the Gatorade, water it wayyy down.
–Skip the soda, skip the tea, and skip the beer. Just for the week, they’ll make you pee out all your electrolytes, and work against the ultimate goal of keeping you hydrated.

And finally, if you’re nauseous, dizzy, or hot headed, chill, you’re probably dehydrated. Drink up and stay cool, my friends!

A typical day – fat camp edition

| cheriarmour

I write to you today, from the front porch of my cabin, where I’m lying in a pool of my own sweat, despite the fact that I’ve already removed my shirt, and I’m only rocking the sports bra. A heat wave has barreled through the area, and thankfully, camp is mostly divided, boy-girl, and we’re free to walk around as clothesless as possible.

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^not kidding about the lying in a pool of my own sweat thing.

But I digress. You ever wonder what a typical day at fat camp is like? No? Well you’re not being honest with yourself then. It’s not all rice cakes and calisthenics, I’ll tell you that. So a typical day?

8:15 am – morning line-up we go out to the flag pole, say the pledge, and a lot of the time, folks, counselors and campers alike, are in rough condition. They’re sleepy, their hair is a mess. And after that, we head to breakfast!

The Food not bad! Actually, it’s kinda awesome to not have to cook for yourself for a little while, and the veg options and the dessert are pretty dank. The only difference between our camp’s food, and regular food is that our meals are more balanced, and portion controlled.

10:00 am – morning workouts this is where ish gets real, especially for me. As a fitness specialist, I teach class all morning, from 10-12, with a break in-between for me to switch groups. The girls work HARD in Zumba, and have always had a liking to me and to Zumba.

12:00 pm – bunk notes the girls get a little break to get letters from home, get bunk notes, and to clean up if their morning workouts made them super gross.

12:30 – lunch lunch. Jello. The salad bar is open. Thank gawd!

2:00 choice Choice period. The girls can choose, and at this point, I teach another period. This is a time for fun stuff. They’re waterfront activities, there’s cheerleader, me, archery, and all the stuff you typically think of when you think of “camp”

3:00-4:50 – Camp Actvities the girls are scheduled every day for specifics. All the campy stuff happens here, with a teeny bit more of an emphasis on physical activities than most sleep away camps.

5:00 pm – 6:50 Shower Hour and dinn duh. And plus we get dessert so obviously my favorite meal because I have a problem.

7:30ish pm Evening Activity. Fun. Just fun. And it gets even more fun during Color War, when each night means the diff between a win and a loss for the teams involved.

10:00 pm – go to sleep! The girls head back to their cabins, while the counselor on duty (OD) intermittently asks them for nail polish and magazines, and also tells them to be quiet and go to sleep.

I wish my words can capture what really goes on here, but at least you guys get to kind of place me at each point in the day.

Return to Fat Camp

| cheriarmour

I blog to you from the (dis)comfort of my iPhone. I wish I could whip out the ol’ laptop, but I’m at camp, and using the laptop is a little tricky. So let’s go over my return to fat camp.

So fun fact, as a fitness instructor, we’re actually tested on what we know, in order to keep you guys, our participants, safe in our class. So every cheesy, annoying step-touch, every step and pull, and every cat stretch that reminds you of the 80s is necessary. So Saturday, I renewed my AFAA Group Exercise certification, which meant a lot of review, plus a test at the end. Gross. But I got it done, then hit the road to camp.

First stop. I got pulled over for “incorrectly wearing my seatbelt” (I wasn’t, I’m just thin.) Truthfully I think the cop got bored because he pulled me over for like two seconds, then let me go. Thanks sir.

But first stop?

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Lake Anna in VA to sleep and visit family.

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So I continued my trek, and met this lady at the rest stop in Delaware.

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Fun fact. I drink so much water, I have to stop at least every three hours. Preferably, at a Starbucks. Also, that’s a Teacup Yorkie. Where can I adopt one? I’m obsessed with her!

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And finally, I rolled into Camp Pocono Trails this morning. It’s just as beautiful as I left it. The campers were so excited to see me, and literally poured sweat for 3 hours with me at the helm. I’m sweaty, and a little exhausted, but I’m here, and I can’t wait to work them out this week.

Camp Daze.

| cheriarmour

So, in a few days, I will be headed up to New Jersey to see my grandmother, and to visit other family. While I’m there, I’m going to head to the best place on earth, Camp Pocono Trails.

So a few years ago, me, and my beautiful friend, Morgan, were watching MTV, a documentary presented by MTV. We both were fascinated.

Morgan, please don't kill me for posting this old photo!
Morgan, please don’t kill me for posting this old photo!  Mo’s in the middle.  She’s a beautiful spirit, and we bonded from the moment we met.  

The footage wasn’t particularly sharp. But it was what you’d think, when you thought of a documentary filmed at a camp. The lighting wasn’t great. It was natural. The sunlight. The lights in the gym. The dusky glow across the fields at night. And I was fascinated by the fact that kids, that were sent to this camp to lose weight, were having so much fun. Color wars. First kisses. Camp songs. Lice (remember that?) It seemed like a magical place. And finally, after a month at grad school, years after we’d watched the footage, I got up the courage to apply to work at weight-loss camp, as a fitness specialist. And the cards all fell into place! I was hired.

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I remember pulling up to camp. And being like “holy shit”. I mean, pardon me, but it was one of those moments. It was the place where time had stood still in the years since I’d seen the documentary. Except it was more beautiful. Waaay more beautiful. And thus, my employment at the most beautiful place on earth began.

The first night, it rained, and I cried in my little twin bunk like a homesick little kid. I missed home. I missed my family. And I was coming out of a nasty breakup. The escape to heaven on earth (Camp Pocono Trails), however, proved to change my life. I made friends. Incredible, lifelong friends. I lost a little weight. I became a better teacher. I became confident. I taught girls to be confident. I sat out at night and watched a still lake. I fell in love (with myself). I became a little more Jewish. I got a name change (the girls called me Shakira, instead of Cheri). And I’m going back to the slice of heaven where time stands still next week. I can’t wait to show you guys the place that made me, me!

These were the summer loves of my life. I lived in a cabin with these girls for a whole summer!
These were the summer loves of my life. I lived in a cabin with these girls for a whole summer!

I’m in love with camp 🙂

I need your help.

| cheriarmour

There’s a lot of wedding stuff out there.  A lot of horrible wedding stuff.

Awful

Exhibit A. Like. What the eff is that supposed to be?

So, ladies and gents, direct me to your finest wedding hacks, before I run down to the courthouse in my jeggings and crop top to make this thing official (still not out of the realm of possibility).

Running Naked

| cheriarmour

I’m engaged! Wooo!  (My mom already asked me if we’ve set a date and we’ve been engaged for literally 8 minutes).

Onto the stuff! Aside from your sports bra, I feel like your GPS watch can be one of the most important tools you have.  It tracks pace, distance, and all that good stuff that become paramount during marathon training.  I actually cried when I got mine as a gift last birthday because I was so overjoyed to, one, be in possession of such a tool, and 2, have gotten it for free (that ish’s spensive, y’all!)

So I think I told you guys, the wristband on my Garmin 610 had fouled up back before I ran the marathon in March, and Garmin sent me a little replacement kit, no problem, just in time for my marathon.  So imagine my surprise when I looked down at my wrist before Zumba last week, and the wristband was starting to pull away from the watch again?!  I called Garmin, sat on hold for 10 years, and explained to them what was going on.  I love the watch, but this just won’t work.

Garmin 610

“Maybe you have a thin wrist.”

Dude. I love my Garmin, but the techies over there should have figured out by now that runners, a lot of us, are thin-wristed little birdies.  But, all of that aside, they agreed to send me a refurbed watch sometime soon.  So over the next week or so, I’ll be “running naked,” training by mapping out my distances ahead of time, and running without any true indication of pace.  That’s okay, I think it’s dangerous to get totally locked in to staring at your watch, but I miss it dearly.  I’ll be on the lookout for the mailman every day til that watch shows up!

I fell in love at the gym.

| cheriarmour

Ready for a bombshell?  Your favorite running/lifestyle/healthy-living blog can also add to the lineup, a wedding prep blog.

Cause…I got engaged on Friday.

I am engaged.  I am getting married!  I am.  Getting married!

It sounds so weird to say. (And don’t worry ladies, I’ll put some ring pics up for you to drool over in a bit).

So.  I fell in love at the gym.  My fiancé (oh my gosh I have one of those), used to teach cycling.  I used to hear his 90’s rap music floating down the hallway from his class room.  Who is that?  Gotta be some young black guy, listening to all that music I love.  When in actuality, it was an Engineering student who worked in the fitness suite as well.  Who happened to be a white guy.  I wonder if he thinks I’m cute?  Nah.  No way.  I teach Zumba, he teaches cycling, we could never make this work. 

Fast forward to a beer date we were on as friends.  The cute guy from cycling asks me on a date.  One date, and I was a smitten kitten.  Two dates, and I was thinking about our future.  3.5 dates?  And I was in love.  So in addition to running, running safety, apparel, race prep, charity work, 2.5 years after I met the cutie who played 90s rap in his cycling class, my blog will feature a little bit of wedding fun.  I am so excited!  Stay tuned for some sick-ass wedding/running/toning/Pinterest posts.  We’re getting married!

ring