Christmas Cleaning

For those of you that read yesterday's post you are all awaiting this special workout. It did not require a gym or running shoes, but it did require total body strength. Yes, I cleaned my room.

It was much needed and I feel so decluttered (not sure that is a word). When it comes to everything BUT my room I am a pretty organized person. To my defense I have always been gipped of closet space, so therefore my stuff just overflows all over the place.

It was nice to get rid of a bunch of for lack of a better word "crap" that has just piled up over the years. Textbooks from freshmen year, random junk, you name it I got rid of it. I even dusted! I think my problem was that every other time I tried to clean my room I never got rid of stuff and as a result when I "cleaned" it never felt clean because the "stuff" just continued to pile up.

After a good 4 hours my room looked like new. Now the hardest part will be to keep it this way. It was a Christmas gift to myself, but mostly my mom! Haha

Moving on to my actual fun workout. This morning I debuted my Christmas/New Years Spin Profile! Before I even became a certified spin instructor, I had a vision that if I ever did get certified I would have to make a fun Christmas profile. Like everything else I do I was a bit nervous and hoped the class would like it. As a person who takes spin herself, I know we can be very critical sometimes. One bad song and consider yourself finished.

Check it out:

Hopefully you can see the songs, but if not you still have one more opportunity to come and take the class when I cover for another instructor next week. :)

I could tell the class was enjoying when they began singing Ella Fitzgerald's "Sleigh Ride" during cool down.

After class a pleasant surprise came from my regulars:

So generous of them! It is nice to feel appreciated and to be acknowledged of the effort I put in each week to my profiles. I am so glad I became certified this past summer and am able to do something I love!

Christmas Movie of The Day: Home Alone 2

I love this classic even though it was the reason why I was afraid of NYC most of my childhood. Thank you Harry & Marv.

Christmas Song of The Day: Let it Snow! Ella Fitzgerald

A jazzy take on a classic! Love the whole album.

Spinning with MJ

Yesterday was one of the best spin classes ever. Not only was it a butt kicking, sweat pouring workout, but it was an ENTIRE class of Michael Jackson music! Say what you want about him, but I love him lol. When I was ice skating I even did a showcase program to Billie Jean. 

The profile played some if his greatest hits and included 4 intense hills. As a future spinning instructor, this really helped me to see the importance of music. I felt myself pushing myself harder and sweating even more than I usually do (hard to believe I know). Now I'm sure not everyone is as big a fan of MJ as I am, but it is important to play a variety of music and switch it up every class. (Although I was perfectly fine with 45 minutes of the King). Throwing in themed rides (MJ for example) and all genres of music is what makes spinning fun! A bunch of people seemed to enjoy the MJ profile! 

My two favorite hills were to Billie Jean and The Way You Make Me Feel. There was just something about the beat to those songs that made it perfect for a climb. 

You have heard me mention the instructor Erin before in other posts. I always feel challenged by her rides which is important because one never wants to feel bored in a workout. 

Here is Erin with a big smile after kicking all of our butts! 

Don't let her small size fool you, she is a BEAST!! 

Thanks Erin for another GREAT class! See you next Monday. :) 

Just Keep Spinning

Yes spinning, not SWIMMING.

 

Yesterday was a big day for me. My Spin Instructor Orientation! What a LONG day mentally and physically. The day ran from 8am-6pm and included 2 rides and classroom lectures where we went over different parts of the official Spinning manual. 

Taught by Master Trainer, MaryJo all twenty of us learned a lot of great tips for teaching a spinning class and MaryJo also had a great sense of humor to keep us all laughing throughout the day!

My main concern was of course making it through the day without any blood sugar problems. I have gotten through many spin classes without any issues, but when you are thrown into a different setting and different time of the day when a workout takes place, these things can all factor in and become a big hassle. I am happy to say I had no issues! Actually, my blood sugars were just where I wanted them to be the whole day. Not too high or too low and I made it through both rides.

The day started off on the low side with a reading of 68. Since I didn't know when exactly the rides would be taking place I had my usual eggs and toast breakfast without covering. I figured I can always take some insulin if I saw I was shooting up too high and would not be able to remove insulin once injected. This decision worked out perfectly! The first ride wasn't until 12pm and lasted until a little after 1pm. Beforehand I was 183 and knew since I had no short acting insulin in me I would make it through the ride. Thank God because OF COURSE just as we were about to begin, my sensor wasn't calibrating. :( I told myself "Just keep spinning."

By the time lunch rolled around I was STARVING!! We were given about 45mins break so I went right to the locker room, tested (165), recalibrated my sensor and had lunch. I usually like my apple with pb after a workout, but it was just not happening in a gym locker room so I stuck with my other staple... turkey and cheese on wrap. I loved opening up my lunch bag to find this note from Mom:

 

This is where I met Leah. She had noticed my sensor and asked if it was something for Diabetes. At first I am always a little hesitant because many misunderstand type 1 for type 2, but Leah knew about type 1. A coworker of her has a daughter with type 1 and also on the Dexcom sensor. We chatted for a little and it was really comforting speaking to someone who could understand my concerns of the day. She even said she added my blog to her reading list! (Hi Leah!!) :)

After lunch it was back to class from 2-5 to learn all about hear rate training, creating spin profiles and music. A lot of information!

**Note: No bar time which was extremely difficult, but I made up for it later. We will get to that**

Then it was time for the second ride, the last part of the day and definitely the hardest. Before I tested and was 183 so I decided to have an Extend Protein Bar. These are really good for maintaining blood sugars during strenuous workouts. So glad I had one because I would not have made it through without. This ride was about 35-40 mins and it was a sample of all of the different types of rides we learned about. Endurance, Strength, Interval and Race Day. MaryJo was a great instructor and so motivating! I was sweating like no other. After the first loop the class decided to go for another round (I had mixed feeling towards this lol), but I told myself this is it, I can do it, after I am done! It is really important to have mental toughness. Just keep spinning ... just keep spinning...

When we finished it was the greatest feeling. We all cheered and it was a great feeling not only as a group effort, but for me personally. Receiving my certificate of completion reminded me that I can accomplish what I put my mind to. It may take more planning and worry, but it CAN be done. A year ago I would have never pushed myself out of my comfort zone like I have been doing, but each time I get through another obstacle I am that much more motivated. 

Before driving home I made sure to test and I was 114. PERFECTTTT :) When I got in the car I literally cried because of all of the adrenaline, emotion and feeling of accomplishment. (And because I was STARVING yet again..plus no bar time). That was soon fixed after getting home and having a great BBQ dinner! Steak, ribs, salads..not the healthiest, but it was Saturday after all and my eating all day was pretty limited. I helped mom finish her steak too. :)

The day ended with a trip to Starbucks for my iced coffee and my bar for dessert. :) It was a perfect ending to a rewarding day. Bar time and also one of my favorite movies, New Year's Eve was on.

 

If you haven't seen I HIGHLY recommend, no matter what time of the year it is.

 

 

My message for all of you is to step out of your comfort zone! I am so glad I chose to do this. I have always wanted to do something fitness related so I thought it was the perfect opportunity. I hope I make a good spin instructor and can motivate people the way I have been motivated by my own spin instructors.