fitness

Big Life Things!

| cheriarmour

Hi!  I have not been posting here with my usual frequency but I have a really good reason, which I will totally get to later.  I promise.

First off, how was your freakin’ weekend?

Mine was/is good.  These posts are always kind of time warpy, because you pre-post, and you pre-write, and you’re talking about things that are kind of still happening, and you come back to unfinished stuff, and it’s just weird.  But my weekend, which is almost over, has been really really good, and really restful.

It started off like a house on fire.  Friday evening, we hosted another Zumba/Cardio Dance party at the Y, which featured like 5 teachers for two hours.  I ended up working a good bit from home on Friday, so by the time the party started around 6:30, I wasn’t completely worn down.  Here are a few shots from the evening.

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After the party, Austin was still at a Hurricanes game for some hockey sports, so I headed to the Drafthouse for some post-party food which included some pickle chips (ugh, so delicious even though I despise pickles in their true form) and veggie burgers.

Saturday was another full day.  I taught a class, went and helped Austin repair a few things we needed, and snuck a mid afternoon nap in before I hit the couch really really hard and finished the night with cartoons.  I was seriously in bed well before midnight, and slept hard until I had to come into work to help Fleet Feet out on a busy(ish) Sunday.

Big Life Thing

So here’s the deal.  I’ve been really annoying and “vague blogged” a few things here and there.

So out with it!

A day or so after Christmas, I went out drinking with some friends of mine, then we went to the gay club to dance.  I had a great time, but the next day, I was feeling…off.  Not hungover, and not sick, but like I had some vertigo going on.  Which is the best way to describe it, but probably not 100% even capturing it.  I mentioned this to a friend over text, and she responded “knocked up”.  I told her there was no way, but stopped by the Walgreens right across the street, and picked up a really, really cheap pregnancy test that came in like a box of two.

It came out positive.  So I took the next one.

Positive.

I showed Austin, who was in a veritable state of shock, and he sort of paced around the yard for a while before I sent him on a mission to pick up a few more fancy tests, the ones you see the commercials for.

Positive, positive, positive.

Of course, at this time, I’m panicking, and had send photo evidence to Chelsie (“knocked up”) who immediately replied with a “congratulations,” and some really fun emojis, photo evidence to Jill, my trainer, and photo evidence to Kaity, all mom friends of mine who I felt would have more insight on if the tests were indeed reading the way I was seeing.

All that to say, is I am pregnant and have been very pregnant since around Christmastime.  I have really wanted to share with bunches of people, but it’s kind of conventional wisdom that you don’t share before 12 weeks.  Which I really have mixed feelings about, but, I will share more on that later.

Eep!  We are nervous – this was not necessarily the most expected or most planned thing right now, but we’re in a good place for it, and there’s no time like the present, right?  I think I was more nervous before I told people because I was afraid if I told people I would jinx it, and I’m also good friends with some couples who have struggled with fertility issues, and I’ve been afraid that this would be a lot for them.  Which, for the record, has not been the case – everyone has been really rockin’ about it, and I have even had some offers for clothes and books.  Which lord knows I could use, because I really have no idea what I’m doing.

So really quickly, let me answer a few of the biggest questions people have had for me.

Your boobs are getting huge!

Not a question.  But yes, they are beginning to get out of hand.  But what can you do, that’s not something that’s going to change, right?

How are you feeling?  Have you been sick?

I have not been sick.  I have been ridiculously, hopelessly exhausted.  I have never experienced exhaustion like this in my life.  I rely solely on naps and drinking lots of water.  My doc says it will pass in the next few weeks or so, so I am really looking forward to more of a surge in energy.  I have been feeling less deathly the past few days, so I am hoping this means that maybe it’s coming.  But I have been in bed well before midnight every single night except a drag show I was at last week.

What about teaching your classes?  Will you have to cut back?

I don’t know.  As of right now, I am teaching all my regular classes except for my Friday Barre, and I feel great teaching.  In Body Pump, I have gone a lot lighter on my squat and my back weight, but overall, I’ve been doing the same.  I have cut back on my running, due to nothing other than the fact that I am exhausted, but I’m still running.  I’m not sure if that will change, especially toward the end of the pregnancy.  But, as of right now, I just don’t know.

All of that said (I feel like I just dropped a damned bomb on you), how was your weekend?  Do you have any burning questions for the pregnant workout lady?  

What I Would do with my Lottery Earnings.

| cheriarmour

Hullo!

I am really sore.  Like ridiculously sore.  12512311_10100697279453363_6901348544062139_n

I taught a Body Pump class first thing in the morning so I could do my “video” for Les Mills. We all call it “videos” despite the fact that that language alone makes you a strong candidate to be old, but apparently, none of us really seem to mind that a whole heck of a lot. Anyhoo, I did that class at 6am, and I’m really trying this whole morning thing out. The hard thing with that is that I’m still not getting to bed at a great time, so I’m also trying to get in bed at decent hours. I got in bed last night before midnight and am not yet falling asleep at my desk, so maybe this is a win?

So, I’m sure you’ve heard and heard and heard again how intense this Powerball thing is getting here.  The winnings are estimated at up over a billion dollars, and it makes it tempting to play.  I mean, even celebrities are getting in on it, which I sort of resent, but whatever.  I

I  haven’t played, and not sure if I will, but in my off time, I’ve sort of fantasized about what it might be like if I won, right?  And it really isn’t an interesting or particularly noble list, it’s practical.  Maybe that’s selfish.

I’d pay off my student loans.  Probably pay off my sister’s and pay off a few friends.  If you were to sit with us over drinks or coffee, eventually, student loans would come up.  “Hey guys, I better head out.  I’m watching the budget – these loans!”  It would be nice to hang out with friends my age and not have this thing just hanging over our heads.

I’d put $2-$3 million away for our retirement.  Sounds lofty now, but totally manageable if you win the powerball right?  Then we don’t have to worry about outliving our retirement like our parents kind of have to cause they live long af.

Housecleaner.  I am a terrible housekeeper.  I would LOVE some help.  Maybe that makes me a brat, but if I had the money this very individual second, I would totally do it.

Chef.  I would love a chef whose special talent was to make my favorite terrible foods healthy.  And all my favorite healthy foods in their proper portions so I only had to do it (cook) for enjoyment and not for sustenance or making sure I had lunch for the next day.  The biggies for me would be big elaborate salads, soups, and sushi.  I would LOVE to always have sushi on tap.

What would you do if you won the Powerball?

The case for wearables.

| cheriarmour

I got a Fitbit after I registered me and Austin for one as a wedding present.

Correction: I did not register for anything.  I owe my life to Chelsie, my bridesmaid, who, when I was overwhelmed registering, went to Target and she registered me for everything I needed, with a few requests from me.

So once I got the Fitbit, the Fitbit Flex, I was absolutely hooked to that thing.  At $99, it wasn’t a huge investment, but it really shifted the way I did things.  I synced it to my computer and my phone, and immediately started adding friends on their network.  Though I was already pretty active, I was able to actually visualize how much movement I was getting throughout the day.  I could figure out when were peak times for me, and what tough times were for me (Sundays when I didn’t meet my running friends and wanted to watch Bravo all day.)  I started getting really competitive with my friends and was really impressed with how good the customer service was when I lost my Fitbit drunk twice.  Once at my sister’s wedding afterparty, and once at Elon Homecoming.  Hence the sober month I’m taking right now.

After my time with the Flex, I upgraded to the Surge.  I felt like it was sort of weird to wear my Flex at the same time I was wearing my Garmin – like I just had too much on.  The Flex boasted GPS as well as step tracking, so once I got it, and witnessed personally how quickly the Surge hooked up to satellites, it really rendered my Garmin pretty obsolete.

The Fitbit Surge. Great as your everyday wearable, but also awesome for runs and cross training.
The Fitbit Surge. Great as your everyday wearable, but also awesome for runs and cross training.

The case for wearables/should I get one?

I’m already active.  But a Fitbit, or similar products (Garmin has ’em, Pebble, and Jawbone are some of the big players in the game), really, to me increases your awareness.  You may think you’re active, when in reality, you get one 25-minute run in a day, and sit at your desk the rest of the day.  While your run is excellent, it’s not going to cut it always, and you have to keep moving around to meet your daily minimums.  These tools are awesome for figuring out where you are, and where you might need to go.

So are you a person that loves apps?  Do you love data?  Do numbers really speak to you?  Then a “wearable” is for you.  If that stuff isn’t really your jam, I always encourage figuring out what your “love language” is as it pertains to working out and keeping yourself on track and accountable.  But for me, counting, visualizing, and competing works.

Do you use a wearable?  Wear a Fitbit?  

How long have you been wearing one?  

What do you like/dislike about it?

Trail Running as a corny symbol.

| cheriarmour

I know things have been a quiet here.

Things have been a little crazy at our house this week.  We had a lot going on last weekend, holiday parties and such, and on Monday morning, we found out that Austin’s grandmother isn’t doing well.  It’s worst for Austin’s mother, and we’re making plans to do some travel between Charlotte, Florence, and here over the next few weeks.

On Sunday, I was in a really weird mood, and after laying on the couch for a while, I decided to take myself for a really really short trail run so I could reset my horrible mood.

11227755_10100681075087043_8309451315502675141_nAs I was running, and picking my feet up over roots and leaping over a teeny stream that ran through the trail, I glanced down at my watch and noted that the first mile had taken me over 11 minutes.

“Why are trail miles so slow,” I thought to myself.

There’s the obvious answer.  Trail miles are more technical.  You’re not running on a treadmill or down a greenway.  There’s deer, tree roots, rocks, and branches.  Falling during a trail run is not at all uncommon.

And then I looked up at the leaves falling from the trees.

Maybe trail running is so slow because you’re supposed to notice the thing around you.

Maybe trail running is this huge symbol for life.

It’s hard.  It’s hard on your body.  It can be hard on your mind.  There is stuff in your way.  Rocks, roots.  A straight-up body of water.  I’ve tripped and fallen down.  Hard.  But maybe that crap is all there to slow you down so that you can remember to look up and around and appreciate the things that don’t suck about the run.

Or maybe I’m a dumb dumb and just feeling really corny since Christmas is this week.

What is your favorite gift you’ll be giving this week?

When did you become aware of your body?

| cheriarmour

I have been really struggling with my body this week.  Which seems silly.  My body is capable of amazing things.  I’ve run marathons.  I teach multiple classes a week, sometimes multiple classes a day.  Sometimes, I look in the mirror in the morning, and see something awesome.  And yet, this week, when Aunt Flo decided to visit a few days early, and I put on a teeny bit of weight after what I felt was an amazing week at the gym, everything went to hell, and I became uncomfortably aware of how much physical space I was taking up.

I found the responses to last week’s post really interesting.  IRL, as well as online, I heard a lot from you guys (which I love).  However, the most intriguing responses came from the folks who’d shared on it in an online Trail and Ultra Running group I’ve been a part of.  Many folks commended my friend for calling me out, as they should have.  A few folks commended me for admitting what an asshole I’d been.  And more than most admitted to feeling poorly about their own bodies.  Some admitted to doing what I’d done, turning the things they felt were negative about themselves into rules that dictate what others should wear, and how they should wear it.

What’s so interesting about this group is that these folks are capable, strong humans.  Some of them truly do look like models.  Some look like fitness models.  Some are overweight.  Some don’t look like “typical” runner.  Some do.  However, their running and their capabilities are in no way defined by their looks.  So why all the angst as it relates to our bodies, especially considering the fact that at the very least, in that group especially, our bodies are capable of running endless miles on rugged terrain?

When did we get so aware of our bodies, and what they should look like?

For me, I remember being 120 lbs as a freshman in high school.  I struggled with my looks, the way I’m sure all 14-year-olds did.  I was sitting in a civics, and I looked down.  I was wearing a fitted top, and noticed the part of my tummy that was hanging over the edge of my jeans.  I pinched it.  I pinched it again.  To this day when I’m feeling anxious or particularly down, I will look down, grab that little roll, and pinch.  No matter how small or how round it’s gotten.

I’m not sure how I learned that behavior, or what drew me to became aware of this part of my body.  However, at 13 or 14, I knew that there was something “wrong” with it.  And, as I talked about last week, the things I find “wrong” with myself, I look for in others.

All of that said, I do identify with the fact that not everything I’m thinking is logical or right.  I recently ran a marathon.  I have incredible physical strength.  I just completed a grueling vinyasa sculpt class with minimal nausea.  I should have incredible gratitude for my body, these limbs, these muscles that get me from more than point A to point B.  But, my first instinct, my first learned behavior is to be critical of the physical manifestation of who I am.

At what point did you become aware of your body?  What does your body mean to you?

What Koh taught me.

| cheriarmour

I hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving.  I went to Charlotte to have Thanksgiving dinner at my mother-in-law’s house, and spent a few days hanging out.  I’m actually writing now from the kitchen table in her house!

So, Thanksgiving day, I manged to not do a ton of damage – I ate a good bit, but broke up the day with a lot of walking, so I didn’t feel AS slobby as I could have, but nevertheless, I went ahead and poked around on some of the local Y sites to see what classes they were running on Black Friday.  I stumbled across a super familiar name – Koh – for Zumba, and immediately set my alarm so I could go to hear class on Friday morning.

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If you sorta remember that name, it’s because I ran into Koh at DCAC, and she was the first person in the history of the world that I ever took Zumba with. I went Zumba->get licensed->teach at State->teach at camp->decide I wanted to do something with my life that involved group fitness->the Y, which I love, so as I planned to go to this class, the weight sort of started to hit me, that all of this was coming full circle.

I got to the Harris Y, about 30 minutes from Sharon’s house, about 10 minutes before class started.

First, as an aside, the Harris Y is the most monstrously huge Y I have ever seen in my life. And I’m very familiar with Siskey. But this Y had a separate building for youth programs, and the grownup side kinda seemed like a small city. But in a good way, because the guy in membership who helped me come in and get settled was absolutely as sweet as pie.

Anyhoo, I got to class, and once we got started, I felt completely in my element. Koh really likes to pump her music, so once you got into each of the songs (that she ended on a pose, mind you), it was sort of like being lost in your own fitnessy world. I smiled, clapped, and at one point when we were dancing salsa, she pulled me to the front of the room with a few folks, smack-dab in the middle, to dance, while she attended to the other side of the studio.

I left that class sweaty, happy, and ready to go for a little longer. In fact, we were able to convince her to let us repeat a Michael Buble song because we’d all enjoyed it so much and felt like we could do it better than we had the first time. So she obliged!

I think the cool thing about returning to a teacher that you went to way back is that you begin to remember how it feels to be a student, and you remember the subtle nuances that you’d like to incorporate into classes to make people feel as good as your instructor is making you .

Koh Taught (still teaches!) me:

  • Be happy.  Every movement she hits, Koh acts as if it’s the most wonderful thing she has ever done.  This spreads to the class.  Maybe it’s a complex movement.  Maybe not.  Maybe it’s really really silly and might look a little funny.  She still executes it with the best attitude ever.
  • Keep it simple.  Koh is great.  BUT, she waves her wand over the classes, and it lets you know that you don’t have to be the best dancer for this class to work its magic on you.  But just in case you do want to be the best, she communicates through really really simple movements.  Things are logical – a move for the verse, a move for the chorus, and a move for the bridge.  No real rocket science there.  But it works!  So no one feels like an idiot in class because things are SO ridiculously easy to follow!
  • It’s not about you.  I’ve phrased this 60 million different ways irl and on the blog.  And I’ll say it some more.  But there is no one on earth more entitled to a big fat head than someone like Koh, who was a master presenter for Zumba® Fitness for a long time.  Her classes are consistently packed.  She could regard it as the Koh Experience.  But instead, she has made it so that you leave the class feeling like you were the star.  She’ll dance with students.  Point out when someone is doing awesome.  Allow the veterans to lead class for a little while.  Mingle during.  And generally, make it an unspoken point to communicate that she’s here for your workout, not her own.

Of course, I totally wanted more after because I was just buzzing with excitement, but I checked the schedules of the 3 Ys around, and there’s nothing super interesting going on.  Which means I’ll have to bite it and actually pay for a class and run tomorrow instead of getting into a class at the Y.

And with all that sweating, I’m not absolutely terrified to look at a scale sideways on Monday.

How did you stay fit this Thanksgiving?

Why do you work out if you’re a fitness instructor?

| cheriarmour

First things first though, I can honestly say I had a new experience yesterday.  So, I was contacted by another group fitness director sort of out of the blue a few weeks back.

“Do you teach total body strength?”

I answered yes, and especially since I started taking on a regular Toning since I got my Body Pump cert last year, I feel super comfortable with the format.

What that ended up meaning is that I was signed up for a shoot for the association where I would have to teach a pretend class.  The BEST part about it though, was that since we don’t have the rights to any of the music, I  had to teach the class in silence, and they have to go back and dub the music in later.  So for 20ish minute, I danced and bicep curled and squatted to NO MUSIC.  The weirdest experience of life.

12208383_10100666199338163_938420875333157995_nI also was told by the photographer (very politely) to put my boobs away. I forget these things get out of control sometimes, and since I don’t necessarily want my boobs plastered on the January mailer, I’m appreciative.  I can chalk that up to a new experience.

Why do you work out?  You’re a fitness instructor.  Doesn’t your class just count as your workout?

Switching gears a little bit, but I get this question a lot.  Sometimes when I mention to folks that I’m going to try to sneak a run in or hop on the elliptical for a few minutes before I teach my class (after is usually no good for me), they ask why I bother.

It’s true, when I’m up there leading a class, I’m sweating, and I’m moving, but I promise you, it’s not the same as the workout the participants in the class are getting.  My energy is 100% fixed on facilitating a good, safe, fun class, and when your energy isn’t focused inward, you don’t benefit as much.

Secondly, and this one is the big one, as an instructor, we shouldn’t be relying on our 5:15pm Zumba for our workout because the class (I’ve said it before) IS NOT FOR US.  The purpose of you teaching should never be to get ripped, and honestly, if you rely on your class to get your exercise in, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

Fun fact: I was at my heaviest while teaching the most BALLER class every at NC State.  You have to do more.

What workouts have you done this week?  Try anything new?

What makes me feel like me!

| cheriarmour

Yesterday, after work when I realized I could sit at my desk for like another 3 hours and still not have everything I wanted done done, I felt completely overwhelmed.  I’d promised myself I would get out of my chair and hop on the treadmill for a few minutes, and when it came time, I was trying to convince myself that I didn’t need to, instead, that I could just answer more emails.

I was irritable, my throat was tight, and I just wanted to hide in a fort of my own making.  Like sheets and stuff.  Those were the best, right?  Except my mom would never let us sleep in them.  BOO.  So I hopped on the treadmill for a few minutes, and the funk, the fog, started to lift.

While I was on there, I got to thinking about things that make me feel most like me, things that ground me.

  • Painting my nails.  

IMG_3192I don’t have a ton of time, nor do I have a ton of money.  The act of painting my nails itself is fine, and I’ve perfected the art of gelling my nails so I get a little more than a day or two of wear out of my nails.  But something about having my nails done makes me feel so pulled together, even if I’m just wearing tights and a tank top.

  • Running…after the first few miles.  I think running can be tricky for me because I feel like such a fat idiot for the first few moments.  But once I hit my stride – once I sort of hit a good rhythm – which can be after 4 miles during a long run, or after 10 minutes – I feel like a lot of problems are a LOT more solve-able, and I can break things down in my head.  I’ve saved myself (and the world) from many a meltdown.
  • Doing creative things.  I like to write. I like to draw.  Sometimes paint.  Performing live.  And whenever I do any of these things, I start to feel most at peace and like myself.  During the time when we were engaged, I struggled really heavily with anxiety, and being able to look at paper, draw, address envelopes, and put things together really grounded me.
Card
I LOVE writing letters too.
  • Teaching classes.  I’ll let you in on a little secret.  Fitness instructors don’t always want to teach.  But just after the warm up, something takes over me, and I recognize my role as the exercise tour guide is exactly where I want to be.  I’ll smile, dance, touch, and encourage, and I feel like a million bucks after.
  • Cooking for people.  This also falls into the same category as creative stuff.  But I feel like I have purpose when I can cook for people – my husband, my brother, and his roommates, and have them enjoy it.  It’s the weird maternal part of me that I didn’t really think I had.
  • Being honest with my husband.  Spending time with my husband.  Holding Austin’s hand.  Playing and being silly with Austin.  Rubbing his back.  Having him rub my feet.  Doing our funny jokes, which are maybe only funny to us.  Going to the beach with him.  This is me.  This is us.  I love this stuff.  And I’m so happy that he can help me get both feet on the ground, when sometimes they feel like they don’t go.

So this is me.  This list is by no means exhaustive.  I will maybe keep adding to this and referencing this post.  But I want to know.  What makes you feel like you?  

 

What I do.

| cheriarmour

I posted this picture to social media yesterday.

Alexander TrainingAnd I realize that I’ve always sort of vaguely alluded to what it is that I do, but it’s not really clear to you folks what exactly I do (other than eat and run a lot).  And I’d love to hear what is is you guys, my readers do.

So I am a director at a central Y here in Raleigh.  More specifically, I am the Group Fitness Director.

What does that mean?

Have you ever belonged to a larger gym and taken a group fitness class?  Ever scrolled through the online schedule and cherry picked exactly which class it us what you wanted to take?  Wonder who updates the app?  That person is me!

So, as a Group Fitness Director, there isn’t really a “typical” day, because so much goes into a day and coordination there.  Which I was told when I was interviewing for the job and did the part where they ask if you have any questions.  And what you really want to ask is “how much Ima get paid,” but that’s so rude, you can’t.  And let’s be real, none of us work in nonprofit for the cash, so it really only matters that you can pay your rent and student loans, and most of us are happy!

So there is not a typical day.  But I’ll use today as an example.  Today, a Monday, I’ll try to wake up early and get in a quick workout.  Sometimes that means driving to the branch, parking my car, and doing a short run from there.  Sometimes it means meeting friends over at the state park and busting out some trail miles.  And sometimes it means popping downtown for a HIIT class at a boutique up there, only a few blocks from work.

After this workout, usually I head home, shower, and am in the office between 9:30 and 10 am.  I’ll set my laptop up, and get to answering emails.  On a Monday like today (and this is why it might seem like I’m ignoring your texts on a Monday), I will log into a special program to make sure that my staff (of about 80 instructors) gets paid on time.  If this work isn’t finished, it’s really bad, so you never really want to take a “critical Monday” off of work, and if you are, you need to make sure your boss knows and can sign off on some time sheets.

Usually when I get done with payroll and am sure that any hiccups on the time sheets is fixed, it’s about lunchtime.  Sometimes I’ve thrown something together in a lunchbox and will head down to the lobby with my office mate to eat lunch and chat about life.  Sometimes I go home to eat and let the dog out, and head back to work.

At this point, I’ll send a few more emails, and then get bored enough that I need to do a lap around the building.  I’ll visit my boss, my bosses boss, the HR lady, some of the people in the youth office, and I will head allll the way down to the ground floor to check on the studios.  I’ll pump up some Bosus, check on the bikes, and check the mics.

This time of year, were are gearing up for the annual campaign, our campaign to raise money for our programs, since we are nonprofit, and that means lots of meetings, lots of phone calls, and lots of hustling to make sure we make our goal.  Right now, and today, I am hustling to get volunteers and to encourage folks who may want to volunteers for the campaign, kicking off next month, to learn more.

Mid-afternoon, I usually answer any phone calls I may not have caught, especially while I was working down in the lobby or lapping the building.  And after that, I am usually only left with enough time to quickly change close, and head downstairs to teach one or two classes.

Like I said, my day is rarely repeated.  So while this may be a Monday, a Tuesday may mean that I have a program that I’m running with a local doctor’s office, a Gentle Yoga class to sub, or a broken mic I need to deal with.  Sometimes I feel on top of the world – like every single lick of work I can do has been accomplished.  Sometimes I feel like I have way way more to do, and that I shouldn’t even consider going home, let alone enjoying time to be creative, and write and work on the blog.

I’ve been working to find that balance.

But I will leave you with this.

When I was looking for a job in 2011 and having a really really hard time, my father seemed really really confused as to why I simply wouldn’t just take a job a a local credit union or in finance, the way a lot of my friends at school had.  I couldn’t do it because I was sure I would be miserable, and the thought of sitting at a desk all day, without an opportunity to get up and move around paralyzed me.  You see, our parents grew up in a time where you didn’t have to necessarily enjoy your work, so long as it made you a living.  Call me, call us a bunch of entitled, bratty millenials, but I knew what I wanted.  And the Y was  the perfect marriage of programming, nonprofit work, and a practical teaching piece.

Now, enough about me.  What do you do?  Do you enjoy your work?