She said my name

There I am, somewhere in this photo, just getting my plank on at the  Pure Barre studio. 

As y'all know, I have been taking Pure Barre these past few moths, and it has quickly become a real passion of mine. Pure Barre is a mix of ballet, Pilates, and yoga. It is completely different from any type of workout I have ever done. Every single class pushes me out of my comfort zone, and it is really hard to "phone in" one of the workouts. It hurts so good.

This past weekend, I was at the studio for the 8:15 class and it was taught by an instructor that I have never had before. She has a reputation for being the most hard core instructor there. I was nervous when I signed up for that class, but realized quickly that I needed to get over my nerves and get ready to hurt. And hurt me she did. By the end of class, I was drenched in sweat and my legs were shaking, but I made it through.

Even though the classes are really tough, the instructors are amazing. They are all very encouraging, and just like in yoga, they are constantly moving around the room making adjustments to everyone while we are in a series. They are also really great about complimenting you by name.

I have never been complimented by name.

For the record, I am really bad at Pure Barre.

For someone who has excelled at every athletic pursuit attempted, the fact that I am not the best in class is hard for me. But, I also think it is one of the reasons I keep coming back. But, on Saturday, during the 3rd and file series of seat work, the hardest instructor at the studio said "Great job Allison."

I almost pee'ed on myself out of excitement.

I am whats called a "striver." I am motivated by praise and acknowledgement. Growing up, my dad was very demonstrative in his praise, and now as an adult, I am constantly seeking affirmation.  When they are withheld, I tend to strive even harder to gain someones appreciation and admiration. Often, this will lead to a place where I try to please others.....I become a people pleaser.

In our marriage, I am often guilt of doing things just to gain P's praise. If I cook a new meal for dinner, no matter how it tastes, P has learned that before he can critique, he needs to praise my "valiant effort." I cannot tell you how many times he made a comment about adjusting some spice, or reducing the cooking time that it ends up in a declaration that goes a little something like this "Well, if you don't like my cooking why don't you make dinner." Or, and perhaps my best line is "Fine, if you don't like it I won't ever cook again." And then I reach for the skillet and start throwing everything out. (And yes, I am up for a Tony award for my performances) Poor P.

Suddenly, I realize that I am my mother. She said the same thing to us after one chicken cordon blu dish that went off track when I was 12. My dad and I hated it, and she declared that she too was never cooking again.

For some reason, there is something deep in me that needs affirmation, that needs praise, that needs to be acknowledged.

The negative side, is that it is very difficult for me to give someone bad news. I tend to approach bad news in what P calls the hamburger method. The top bun--start with a compliment and smile--the meat--the complaint or bad news--the bottom bun---another compliment and smile.
For someone like P, who is such a straight shooter, this type of BS drives him nuts. Often, he will tell me to "just say it." Again, that leads to other types of fights and arguments. I know, I am a true pleasure to live with.

Moral of the story---I like praise, but need to be more direct.

Even bigger moral of the story....I got complimented at the Barre!

What about you? Striver? Direct? People pleaser?

Let me know.

Giving Up the Mill

Can you spot me? I am in the crowd, somewhere. Its like where's Waldo, except you don't know who I am and what I look like. I'll give you a hint, I am one of the runners, not one of the onlookers. 

I have given up the treadmill. My very first race a few years ago was a 10 mile trail run. I trained for it everyday on the treadmill. At the time, I didn't know much about running. I had no plan and no gear. I just put on my tennis shoes, got on the old mill, hit start and ran. Everyday, I ran on the treadmill. I told myself that if I could run 8 miles on the mill, then I could handle 10 miles outside. Looking back on it, I don't think I even realized it was a trail run until the day of the race.

Once I decided to do my first marathon, I did all of my runs on the treadmill except for my long runs on Saturday. Again, every evening after work, I went to the gym, grabbed a mill, and ran mile after mile on that thing.

How the heck did I do that?

Today, I hate the treadmill with the passion of 1,000 suns. Seriously, I hate the treadmill. Last week, I had an easy 3 miler on deck, and I wanted to get some cross training in afterwards. Those 3 miles were the longest, most painful miles I have had in years. I was bored out of my mind, even though there were 10 t.v.'s hanging in front of me. I seriously could not handle how bored I was on the machine.

Running outside, and being outside is more enjoyable than ever now. I find that I am inside so much these days, that any chance I have to get outdoors, I leap at. Even if I am not somewhere particularly beautiful, I still crave the fresh(ish?) air filling my lunges. There is something so much more serene and peaceful about running outside for me than hitting the treadmill now. I am sure I will chicken out one morning when its 30 degrees outside and head for the gym rather than tough out the cold. For now, I'm going to keep hitting the pavement.

Are you a treadmill runner/walker? What do you do to make the time pass quickly?

Meet me at the Barre

I have an addiction, and its to Pure Barre. For these past few months, I have been taking classes 3 times and week, and its AMAZING!

Pure Barre is based on ballet and Pilates principals. The idea is to use the ballet bar to do small movements to tighten and strengthen your muscles. Each class is 55 minutes long, and you do a warm up, do some light weight work, then move to thigh work, seat work, abdominal work, then stretching.

I have run and lifted weights my entire life, but I have never had my legs shake within 2 minutes of doing a work out. I kept reading and hearing about what a great workout is was, and how hard the classes were. Honestly, I was a bit cocky going into my first class. Within 5 minutes of class, I realized I had highly overestimated myself, and underestimated the class. I was sweating and shaking during the warm up.

For me, the hardest series is thigh work. You do three exercises in thigh work, and I have not been able to do a full thigh exercise with stopping. Trying to work while your legs are shaking uncontrollably is really freaking hard. There are times that I am so sore the next day that it amazes me that I didn't actually lift weights.

In class, you are constantly tucking, flexing, pointing, and moving.Some of the exercises are embarrassing to do, but when you are in a class of 20 other girls doing the same moves, its not so bad. Plus, each exercises is set to a different song, so they are blaring great music, and every class is totally different. You never know what variations of work you are going to do each day, which is exciting, and keeps you on your toes.

Pure Barre is not cardio, so you don't lose weight, but you really tone, strengthen, and shape your muscles, and lose inches of your seat and thighs.

This class is amazing, and I am so addicted.

Any Pure Barrer's out there? What do you think?

Oh Jill

So I have been shredding with Jillian for the past several weeks I have been working out with Jillian. And the verdict--it is awesome. I seriously love, and yes I am using the word love, this work out. It is short and hard!!! Seriously, it is amazing. You warm up, do 3 sets of 6 minute circuits which consist of 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, and 1 minute of abs. It is a hard, strenuous work out, but it works. I have been doing it for over a month now and I have seen some major toning in my arms, shoulders, backs, and legs. I get done and I feel amazing! It is so cool. 4 of my friends went out and bought the dvd, and I have about 5 friends doing with me on a daily basis. It is so hard core. I only use 5 pound weights, and at times those feel too heavy for me, but I just have to keep pushing through. I am able to keep pushing because I tell myself that it is a 20 minute work out and I can do anything for 20 minutes. There are 3 levels, and personally I think that level 2 is the hardest. I think that it has the best combo of cardio and strength training of all the levels. It is so great for someone who is busy but still wants a workout. And, best of all, it only cost 9.00 at Target! Score.

Have you tried shredding?

Pudgy

This blog post is looooong over due.

Soo here we go..... I feel pudgy. In other words, a tad bit hefty, yucky. I hate when I put on excess weight. I work out almost every single day, which is great, the problem is that my eating has been OUTOFCONTROL. I have put so much junk into my mouth, in such great quantities, it is ridiculous. I have been eating candy, fries, candy bars, ice cream, you name it, I have eaten it. When I eat bad, my energy level just pelmets. So I am jumping back on the wagon. (The health food wagon that is.)

And..... just in the nick of time, Dmoms swoops in and offers up a challenge. And, I like challenges. It gives me something to work towards, a goal, and with my personality I will jump on that challenge, and meet it, and take it a step forward.

She has a daily workout and I am following her work out plans that she posts on Monday's. I did last week's and I was sore, and felt great, so I will keep it up.

In addition to the workout challenge, she has done some other things to challenge us to live healthier lives. One challenge is to drink more water. I drink a ton every day, but I have been trying to drink even more. Every morning, I fill this cup up to the brim, and chug it before I leave for the day.This big cup of water keeps me full until I get to finally eat around 9:00.

So Denise, thanks for the challenge, and I will keep you updated!