Category: Fitness

N&K posts on fitness.

Packs a punch!

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Nals tried 30 Minute High Intensity Interval Training (HIT)  on Sunday.

It’s a power packed kickboxing and boxing routine for ladies only4. The circuit is designed to hone self-defense skills, improve core and increase strength.

 

                   Activity                  

There are 13 stations that last 2 minutes each.

You start off with a 2 minute jump rope warm up. Next stations are something like:

  1. hook/jab,
  2. sit ups on fitness ball,
  3. round housing a punching bag,
  4. semi sit ups with arms slightly throwing medicine ball¹ straight up,
  5. kneeing an-imagined-assailant-turned-kicking-bag,
  6. hook,
  7. Bridge & squeeze on a fitness ball,
  8. on a mat, turtlekicking & punching a heavy douchebag squarebob-a-thinger, ²
  9. free-for-all kicking/punching the stink out of Bob, the flesh-coloured silicone bust on a pole, with the invisible Punch-Me sign.

There are 3 levels, starting at 1.

 

 

                  Procedure                

So you do a period of time (ie: 30 seconds) of regular-paced and regular-powered activity
then when the buzzer bings once, you either power up or go fast (ie: 15 seconds).  Repeat
Double bing means switch stations.

 

                  Atmosphere                

Loud pumped-up music, very small area (great for focus), personal trainer attention with quick corrections/ encouragements/verbal pushes.
I think I have auditory processing disorder so it was a bit of a challenge to keep all the instructions, directions, movements clear with the music and timer. I think I did okay3, and will obviously improve with more exposure.

 

                  So… ?               

I was totes prepared to join Miss Kells in her Kick the Flip out of Cancer in October. This would’ve entailed getting to the HIT daily.  I work out weekday mornings at 630.  So unfortunately, their hours didn’t work for me. From experience I know I will not go regularly at another time.

There are no drop-ins4. There are monthly pay options.  The fee decreases depending on if it’s month-to-month, for 12 or 24 months.

The trainers are fabulous – full of pep and sugar. But don’t let their smiles fool you.  They’ll push you, bootcamp style.

If you are interested, check them out: 30 Minute Hit!

Foots
1 Nals dislikes medicine balls. Maybe if it came with a spoonful of sugar…
2 Yes, this is indeed the technical term, as per Nals.
3 And by “okay”, I mean I didn’t quit and got a workout, even if I did most of the moves wrong.
4 Except Sunday was one of the fundraising days so it was drop in and a couple dudes came to participate.

Kickin’ Cancer

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So if you follow us on IG you probably saw that we have been saying we are going to focus on Women’s Health for the month of October.  Part of this will be me documenting my journey on Kicking the Beep out of Cancer with 30 Min Hit. Please follow this link to my page:https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=4292199&langPref=en-CA

I have never done this before, so I am a little  nervous. First of all, I’m not one to ask people for money. So please don’t feel you need to donate to me (but I won’t say no if you want to donate). However, I am asking you all to join in the conversation around women’s health AND to support me while I kick the stink out of cancer this month.

Secondly, the only option for t-shirts were pink. Ugh. I’m not a fan of the pink, or pink, or pink. But I will bring it to the gym every day and get it signed. Oh I should mention, that for every work out we do this month, we get a signature on the pink shirt. Maybe I should set a goal of signatures? Any suggestions? (please leave a comment).

October 1st, here we go. Starting the month off at the gym in a pink shirt, getting signatures and starting the conversation around Women’s Health.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer are the most common types of cancer (not including skin cancer). Also, cancer is the #1 cause of death in Canada. We also know that the earlier the detection the better the outcome. We also know that there is no known cure, and we need to find it! No one should have to lose their life to cancer. No one.

I’m assuming here, but I’m pretty sure that we have all been impacted by Cancer. I have lost 2 important people in my life to Cancer and I have also have a survivor in my life. This month I want to honor my friend Amber, who even while she fought her hardest and even in her sickest moments, chose to be happy and live for every moment. I also want to honor my bests Dad, Rick. He was the cool dad that made those ridiculous jokes and always made us laugh. I will never forget these two.

I also want to use this month to fight for never receiving that call again. The call where your soul sister calls and tells you she has cancer. That call literally took my breath away. It made time stop and has burnt a hole in my memory. I vowed to be with her every step of the way. I was there after her surgery and helped take care of her kids. I am so thankful she is still with me, as I can’t picture my life without her. and I am so happy to say her kids still have her. She is also the one that lost her dad last year. Cancer sucks.

Let me share this one last thing. A couple of months before Amber passed away, I went to see her in the hospital. She was so thin and on oxygen. It was hard to see her so frail. But she smiled the whole time. She laughed and joked and wanted to know the latest news with everyone we knew in our lives. I asked her what can I do to help her. She told me she was happy. She said that after she got the news she had a choice, to fear the future and be sad about her extremely aggressive cancer or she would wake up every morning and say “today I choose to be happy”. That really hit me. My gosh, it’s hard to be wake up happy without knowing you are dying from cancer. And let me tell you, Ams lived her word. She was happy. She was happy to see her friends, happy to have another day with her family. She was happy. I try hard to live by this. And when I hear our song, Sugar by Maroon 5, I get a reminder to be happy. It’s a choice.

So here I am, choosing to do my part for fighting for cancer and choosing to be happy. Please join me. Help me. Encourage me. Follow my fundraising and if you can please donate: https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=4292199&langPref=en-CA I hope to post some pictures there soon!

Explicit Expose on Vancity Womens Expo 2018

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Kells & I checked out the Womens Expo in Cloverdale this weekend.

The $8 admission gets you into 170 exhibits, workshops & presentations. (FOLKs Were eligible to enter the door prize after geTting 8 vendor stamps.)

Some vendors were assertive but no one was pushy. Everyone was super friendly.

There were the usual suspects: clothing, hair, makeup, food/cooking, anti aging¹, fitness, home decor… But also realty, sensory deprivation, aromatherapy & sexual health.
We stopped or breezed by:

Army of Sass : dance drop-in and set classes for all shapes, ages, experiences and fitness levels.

Avon : cosmetics, etc.

Bathfitter : don’t provide estimates without a free in-home consultation.

Chef Pieter : delicious cream cheese dips like aged white cheddar habanero & cranberry ghostpepper.

Club Pilates : mat & remoter classes.

Edward Jones : financial bits n bobs.

Epicurious : delish spice rubs and bottles of goodness (with little or no salt)

Hanky Panky : sexual health & clothing.

Little Fox Apothecary : aromatherapy goodness.

Mr. Frank’s Spices  : yummy spices that come in funky re-usable shakers.

Pure Romance : sexual health & sexual medical/physio aids

Spark Fitness : small class sizes allow for more instructor attention.

Sweet Legs : kitten-y soft patterned leggings that keep your gams warm. Comes in kidlet, average & voluptuous sizes.

Zealous Art : art parties & classes, she outreaches!

Conclusion

Yes you should go with your girlfriends, sister, mom, neighbor…. set aside a couple hours and maybe even go for lunch.  

Don’t forget to stop at nearby Little UnChocolate Candy Store.

Footies
1 This was a non-surg eye lift, and worked with bee venom. As our Miss K gets all anaphylactical around bee/wasp stings, we thought we’d steer clear.

 

Catch Me If You Can

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N&K’s Roundup of Runs in Vancouver, BC

 

Believe it or not, at 12 years old, I signed up for Track & Field.  And I chickened out… then at 40, did I really start running.  

Kells was a track-lete in her teens and took a break when during schooling and subsequent back issues.  And she re-started around the time I did.

So this year, Kells & I did 3 runs.

  

Not all runs are created alike. Which is why I wanted to do a review so that newbie runners have the info to choose wisely.  There’s not only a financial cost, but also the time and energy.

 

Prep & training

We were both mentally prepared and motivated.  

Kells just needed to re-condition.  Her final time was about 30 minutes for 5km outside.  

I needed to start from the bottom middle up. I did some research and decided to do a modified Couch to 5km.  My end time was about 40 minutes for 5km on the treadmill. Running outside was way harder.  I couldn’t run a straight 5km, without walking breaks.

Always check in with a licensed healthcare professional such as a physician, nurse-practitioner or personal trainer prior to starting a new health regime.  This helps you to be physically safe and manage your expectations³.

 

St. Patty’s Run (March)

more info

had such a fabulous energy.  It is the first run of the year in Vancouver. Lots of music, people, hoopla.  It was fabulous and I was pumped but nervous AF!  

Location: Stanley Park 

Raceway: We ran along the seawall so pathway was flat, with minimal incline and wide enough to pass the slower-paced folks.

Length: 5 km walk or run.  Different start times for different levels.

N’s time 38 mins ⇔ K’s time 28 mins

 

Daffodil Dash (April)

More info

Both Kells and I have had loved ones suffer from with cancer.  So this is a topic that is near-and-dear to us.

Location: various across B.C. We chose Tri-cities, which was at Rocky Point 

Raceway: windy, partial paved sidewalk/trail and a lot of forest-y trails with twigs and such things to get underfoot.

Other info: wayyy smaller gathering that started 45 minutes late, not cordoned off so other runners and birders¹ blocked the precious real estate.  

Length: 5 km (which was more like 5.5 km) or 1 km walk or Dash for kidlets

N’s time ≈ 45 mins ⇔ K’s time ≈ 30 mins

 

Shoppers Run for women (May)

More info

Womens health is also an important topic for us. So this was a no-brainer.  

Location: Wesbrook Village in UBC, N’s alma mater

Raceway: trails in Pacific Spirit Park.  Partial paved and mostly groomed trails with some twiggy undertows.  Minimal incline, paths are narrow at some points.

Length: 5 km walk or run (or 10 km run or 1 km walk), different trails and staggered start times

N’s time: <38 mins ⇔K’s time: <28 mins

Conclusion

After the first run, this gal was hooked.  The freaking energy and positivity was addicting and motivating AF.  We will defo run this next year.  

If I had started with Daff Dash, I wouldn’t have gotten hooked. No siree bob. Energy was way different, which was partially due to the drizzle and smaller crowd. Didn’t seem as organized.  Next year both K&I agreed to do the Vancouver one.  (2018 was the last year for Tri-Cities location anyways.)

We ended with a BANG! Shoppers was defo a larger crowd with music and lots of energy.  Our one critique is that the Walkers should have started last, after all of the runners.  Some of the Walkers sauntered in their possies, shooting the shit.  They were like a human bunting, 3 and 4 across the the path. They bristled at how the runners rudely pushed past them2.  Imagine runners wanting to run in a race! Preposterous!

Our last run was supposed to be the Vancouver Pride Run in July  But I wanted to support my family member in her wife’s Celebration of Life, which was the same weekend.  So K&I didn’t go. 

I was super pleased to see all shapes and sizes, and skill levels.  So if you’re remotely interested, go for it! It is sooo worth it.

Footers:

1  Birders= a gaggle of birdwatchers that was clogging up the trail like an oxidized comedo.

2 The bunts were told to keep 1 or 2 across, and keep path open for runners. Hmmm these Walkers didn’t have a bunt to stand on.

3 I see him a few times a year for the chronic health condition so I just tacked this question on to my visit.  I had also checked in with Koach.  

In da Club

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I’m all for trying something new…

A sweet co-worker of mine has been raving about her newest workout and asking me to try it out. First of all let me say I have been to the gym with her in the past and she is a machine. A maniac really. Let me just say…when we went to the gym the first time together she told me that she doesn’t talk to people at the gym and doesn’t like to be interrupted. Yah, I know…maniac!

Soooo this new workout of hers…row class. Yup, that’s right, row class. Doesn’t sound to impressive. Doesn’t sound like anything really. But she swore to me that I would like it and that it would be fun. The plus side, good music. And since I will try something new, I gave it a whirl.

So what is row class? It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. A bunch of people get together and row it out. But here’s what I never understood about rowing before:

It’s more of a leg workout than an arm workout.

I was surprised by this.

So, after the first class I realized that I was pretty much doing it wrong because it wasn’t that challenging. I was super focused on not injuring my back that I didn’t focus on what I needed to do; push off with my legs.

So I had a short lesson on what to do after the class (oh yah, this also happened before the class, but I still didn’t get it).

Since they had a special offer if you bought 5 more classes, I signed up for those to. Might as well give it a good go.

Class 2 I was starting to understand the push off with the legs thing, but class 3 I was getting it a lot better.

Here’s what I didn’t expect:

ABS

Wait…I wanna be clear, I did not get abs…but I certainly felt them! This is an added bonus. My core is probably one of my weaker spots, definitely a soft spot! And with my back issues, I know I need to strengthen my core…so in that aspect this is a great opportunity for it.

So Club Row. Well, I figured the “club” part is because it’s in a dark room with loud music. It’s kinda cool actually. I didn’t get it when my friend was telling me but the dark room allows you to focus on your stride or row (or whatever it is rowers call it). And it allows you to “see” others in the room, without actually seeing them. What this does is allows for the room to move together, which keeps you doing the right thing. If you are off you will know it, cuz you will be the only one rowing out of sync with the rest of the room.

Now the music is all picked to have a certain beat that you can row to. There’s a lot of rap. Which if that isn’t your thing you may feel that it’s not going to be fun. But it works. Personally, I don’t often listen to rap, so it’s a nice change then all the other “gym” or “workout” music.

I’ve been to a few classes now, and have had 2 of the instructors. They were both really awesome. Upbeat, encouraging and loud enough to hear over the music. They are also super happy to help you figure it out and show you what you can do to improve.

Do I suggest you try it: Yup! Why not? You may really like it. Plus they offer a 5 class pass which is a good way to test the waters.

They offer gloves as a thing to rent for $2. Rent them (unless you have your own bike riding gloves). They will save you some blisters.

Oh and bring water. It gets hot in the dark room and you really work up a good sweat.

The 3rd class I did. (started at 5600)

Last class I attended

Finally, getting to Club Row is an interesting task because it’s in the basement! I was not expecting that, nor did I really notice the signs (besides the big one on the sideway at the front door). So if you go, remember to head down the stairs. Once you start heading down you will see it right away. But you gotta go down!**

Let us know if you are gunna try a class. We wanna know what you think! Hey you might even see the maniac there! Haha. Or me!

**UPDATE: ( or foot note) they are closed for 2 weeks as they are moving locations. Something about being too loud for their current neighbours. So I have no idea if you will go up or down or not in their new location. If you go to check it out please see their website.

Muscle Development Quarterly

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from glamour gals
to funny gals
In March, our lil friend and personal trainer Koach got both N & K into a muscle development regime.  This is a good way to transform your workout from mundane back to great. In honour of Koach’s birthday today, we are writing this post to update y’all on our progress! Continue reading →

Mind Games

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On Wednesday I posted a pic on our IG account with my photo journey of going to the gym (96 and Counting) but I thought maybe I should expand on it. Share a wee bit more on how its been going…

Soooo, after failing many many times with a workout routine I wanted to try something different. I needed to refocus but honestly, I had no idea how.

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PS I love you

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So as you may or may not know…but Nals and I love to travel. Unfortunately, we don’t get to do as much as we would like with work and life and all. But there are a couple of spots that have a few things we like; sun and fun. Oh and good shopping.

We already talked about our live for Sin City. But I recently got to fly out to another little sweet spot…Palm Springs. And if you have been following us on IG you’ve probably noticed I’ve posted some Palm pics already.
Here’s the thing, I have been hearing great things about PS for years. But it wasn’t until 2 years ago that I finally got to see what all the buzz was about. And let me tell you, I fell in love.

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