1 Live, Love, Yoga: August 2012

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Moving to WordPress

So, I have made the decision to move over to WordPress. There are a number of reasons why I have decided to make the leap. I'm hoping to start blogging more and, after reading several other blogs, have decided that WordPress is a better fit for me. I will be blogging at FitKitten. It will probably take a few days to get everything set up but I feel like it will be much more organized and just overall better! >^.^<

Monday, August 13, 2012

Good Start To The Week

This weekend, I had some well - deserved relaxation time with Max. I drove to his apartment Friday night after I was done babysitting. Saturday, I worked from 8-4 at my dad's basketball camp. I work at the snack bar. It's not a difficult job except the food we sell (movie theater style popcorn, candy, soda, etc.) makes me cringe every time someone buys something! :p It takes all my will power not to lecture people about what they're eating.

After I finished work, I taught at Bird Rock. Max came to my class! He is my most favorite student <3 Seriously, though, he is getting so much better! It makes me really happy that he comes out and supports me as much as he can. There were 5 people in the class (a donation based vinyasa flow) and I think it went well, aside from the fact that the docking station wasn't working so we had no music. I did a somewhat more difficult flow than usual and it was very fun.

Once we finished yoga, Max and I headed to grab some food to take back to the apartment. We ended up having a picnic dinner on the living room floor (since he and his roommates haven't officially moved in yet, there is no furniture...or shower curtain...or towels...haha). I had a veggie sushi roll with avocado, cucumber, carrots, sprouts and spinach wrapped in seaweed, some edamame and steamed veggies. He had steamed veggies and a chicken burrito. For dessert we had some Crunchy Nut cereal (cereal is my weakness...). After dinner, we just hung out and read some books then went to bed early...we were both super tired!

Sunday, we woke up around 8 and went to get breakfast (Starbucks for me, Mexican food for him). We sat at Starbucks for a while and chatted and looked hipster with our Apple products (my MacBook and his iPad). Then we went off to Target to buy some tennis balls then hit the courts! We played two sets...I won the first one 6-3, he won the second 6-4. We were both kind of off on our game which was disappointing, but it was still fun.

He left to go back home soon after tennis :( And I headed home too with a quick pit stop at Forever 21 haha. Later, I did Jillian Michaels' Yoga Meltdown levels 1 and 2 followed by a great swim. I swam 40 laps which is 2000m. It took me about 45 minutes and was an awesome workout.

This morning, I woke up and took hot yoga barre at 5:30am. It was really tough today! I think it was hotter than usual and I was a little dehydrated. I came home, had a yummy oatmeal breakfast then went back to the studio...to do two more classes (vinyasa bootcamp and Ignite 1)...and unexpectedly teach Gentle Yoga! I was so tired after taking 3 tough classes but really excited to teach. There were only 3 students in the class but it was fun and they liked what I did a lot.

This afternoon I did some things around the house then went to play some tennis with my mom. We had a good time though she won 6-2. My mom is pretty good at tennis...she played during college and has a good serve. I definitely did better than I did yesterday though.

More yoga in store for tomorrow! It's so nice not to be nannying this week!

How was your weekend? 

What are your favorite activities to do with family and friends?

Friday, August 10, 2012

The Past Two Days

have been INSANE! Insanely busy, that is. And long. At times fun. At times unfun.

quick recap...

Thursday
5:20am - roll out of bed, get dressed and quickly grab water bottle, iPhone and head out the door
6am - teach Ignite 2...it was a great class! my dad went! (then he came home and promptly went back to bed haha)
7:30am - breakfast of oatmeal with unsweetened almond milk and a smoothie
9:15am - back to the studio to get my workout in...hot yoga sculpt!
10:30am - followed by hot yoga barre!
11:45am - get home, shower, get pretty (or presentable at least...)
12:30pm - make lunch, eat lunch
1pm - grab a coffee before picking up the girls from their parents' office
1:30-5:15pm - nannying job
5:15pm - grab another coffee
5:30pm - go to babysit for different kids
10:45pm - finally get home
11:15pm - collapse into bed!

Friday
5am - wake up call!
5:30am - vinyasa bootcamp yoga...great wake up class!
6:45am - breakfast, some relaxing and packing for spending the weekend at Max's new apartment
8:45am - head back to the studio
9:15am - teach Ignite 1
10:30am - teach Ignite 2
11:45am - shower, get ready, pack car
12:15pm - watch girls' dance camp recital...they were so cute!
12:45pm - take girls to get a treat at Albertsons (and coffee for me!) then go to their house
3:45pm - their dad got home early! I get off early!
4pm - go to the bank and sit at Starbucks until 5 when I get to go to yet ANOTHER babysitting job...I'm hoping that will be done before midnight so I can drive down to Max's...

It's been such a busy week for me and tomorrow I am working for my dad all day and then teaching in the evening. But after that it is time to relax with Max and enjoy some tennis and beach time! It's crazy but I think my life is going to be less hectic when school starts...hard to imagine haha I'm still loving being able to teach so much yoga though! I had a great moment this morning when, even though I was exhausted, I thought "Wow. I'm actually teaching yoga. I actually DO this. I actually made this happen." It was such a cool realization and made me really proud!
How I stay awake all day...lotssss of caffeine :p

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Fitness Survey and Exciting News!

Here's a fun fitness survey I got from Tina at carrotsncake! I thought it would be fun to do because I've never done one...so here goes!

Five Fitness Things You Can't Live Without

1. my yoga mat...it's always always with me! plus towels and cute yoga outfits!
2. water bottle...same as above I literally sleep with it 0_o
3. access to yoga classes I go crazy if I miss a day!
4. tennis racket/shoes/clothes
5. swimsuit and goggles for swimming

Most Embarassing Song I Work Out To

hmm...idk for this one...I just know that I sometimes sing along with the songs which is embarassing since singing is NOT one of my talents

Favorite Pre-Workout Snack/Meal

I usually work out mid morning so I'll eat a bowl of oatmeal with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and some fresh fruit. 

On My Fitness Bucket List

do a sprint triathlon
become a certified personal trainer
do more yoga trainings
start my own fitness apparel/accessories line

Must Have Tech Tools

iPhone for music
Spotify for when I teach yoga classes

Top Exercise Gear

any cute yet affordable workout clothes (I'm a college student...I have a budget!)
5 - 10 pound free weights
Nike running shoes...I really want a new pair in teal!


Motivational Mantras

"sweat like a pig to look like a fox"
"it's not a competition, it's freakin' yoga!"
"it's yoga PRACTICE, not yoga perfect"
"the only workout you'll regret is the one you didn't do"

Favorite Cardio Exercise

HIIT for sure! Moving from one exercise to another keeps it interesting and torches calories at the same time. Plus, I just find it so much fun, especially in a group class setting.
I also enjoy swimming and playing tennis for cardio though. Both are great workouts where I am able to have fun while exercising. 

Favorite Strength Training Moves

Yoga Sculpt! I love the combination of weights with traditional yoga poses. Yoga is already a great way to strength train but it gets even more effective with the addition of weights.

The End :)

Soooo... for my exciting news...I will be officially teaching Hot Yoga Sculpt at Ignite Yoga Fusion on Wednesdays at 5:30am! So ready to start the day off with a great workout with all my early morning yogis!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Weekend Recap (a little late...but still...)

This was one of the best weekends I have had in a while, but I've been back to busy since yesterday, which is why I haven't been able to write a post. I had the whole weekend off from any job which was really nice. I drove out to Palm Desert to see Max Friday evening after I finished nannying. Luckily, there wasn't much traffic and I was there by 7:15 or so. I was so exhausted that when I got there, we just relaxed and watched the Olympics. Last week was such a long week - 5 full days of nannying plus teaching 5 yoga classes (2 of them unplanned!) and waking up at 5 every morning - so I was ready for some relaxation.

For me though, I have to have some active relaxation. I am so not the person who can sit in front of the TV all day even if I'm super tired. So, after a good night's sleep, Max and I headed out to play tennis on Saturday morning. We had been thinking about going to a waterpark but decided against it since they only had like 4 fun slides :p So, we decided to go play tennis and swim instead. Palm Desert has a really nice community park with pools and tennis courts, so we always go there.

We had intended to just play a little tennis, but, we ended up getting REALLY into it and playing 3 full sets. Which took 2.5 hours. In the 100 degree heat. He won the first set 6-4, I won the second set 6-1 and he won the third set in a tie breaker 7 points to 2. It was a really close match! We're really compatible tennis players (not meaning that we're great at all but just well-matched) so the games are always fun and competitive. Our games take a long time because we ALWAYS get to deuce and usually have to do at least one tie breaker.

After tennis, we were so exhausted that we decided to put swimming off until Sunday. We went back to Max's house, showered and went to lunch with his mom and little sister. Then, we went home and relaxed (I actually took a little nap!) and watched more of the Olympics of course! I really am going to be sad when they're over!

Sunday, we woke up early and went to play more tennis and swim. We were thinking of just playing one set, but once we finished that one, we just had to play another. I won the both! The first was 6-3 the second I won in a tie breaker 7 points to 3. Then, we went to the pool and I swam this workout:
Pyramid
100 freestyle, 150 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 150 breaststroke, 100 breaststroke
finish with a cool down of 50 freestyle/50 breaststroke x3 
a total of 24 laps which is 1200 meters

It was a great workout and I felt good (but tired!) by the end. I have really started to enjoy swimming. I can swim for a long time though I am still really slow but I can work at that!

We went home, showered and had a quick lunch, then it was time for me to head back to San Diego. It's always sad to say good bye to Max, but he's coming back this weekend so that will be fun. I have to work all day Saturday, but I'm planning a special date to a drive in movie with a picnic at night!

Anyhow, I drove home and met some of my friends from high school at the beach. Sadly, the beach was super cold and foggy so I literally walked down to meet them and then left. It was such a big changed in weather - from 105 when I left the desert to like 70 at the beach! We decided to go get food instead and we ended up going to Chili's (not my top choice but oh well you can get a good salad almost anywhere). It was really fun to hang out with friends I hadn't seen in a while. We had a really good time and lots of laughs.

After that, I had a conference call with all the teachers at Ignite. We just went over some studio events and plans. I was officially welcomed as a real teacher!

Yesterday, I woke up early and did yoga barre, then vinyasa bootcamp and then vinyasa. 3 classes before 10:30am! It was fun but tiring. I didn't have to nanny until 1 because the girls have dance camp this week from 10-12:30. Great for me!

I can't believe that summer is almost over...I go back to school on August 28. This is so weird because I feel like I haven't been in school for a really long time...I almost forgot about it :p Oh well. This summer has been pretty great though busy.

Friday, August 3, 2012

A Very Busy Week!

This week has been crazy busy for me! I've been up at 5am everyday and pretty much going from then until 8 or 9pm! I've been nannying every day this week and I've been teaching a lot of classes too! I taught Ignite 1 Monday evening, which I had never taught before. It was unexpected but it was fun and a good experience for me - luckily I have taken the class so many times I know the sequence! Wednesday, I taught a 7pm Ignite 2 class. Both my parents came to that one which was cool. My music was having some issues though so that was a bit of a bummer. Thursday, I taught a 6am Ignite 2 which went really well, followed by a 9:15am yoga sculpt. Sculpt is my favorite class to teach because there's so much room to add energy and fun moves plus it's an awesome workout. It's tough because I have to do the moves and talk at the same time but I love it. This morning, I taught another unexpected class. I woke up to take the 5:30am bootcamp, but, no teacher showed up, so I taught! I had to think fast and come up with a routine as I went, but it was fun and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I love teaching so much!

Nannying has gone better than I thought it would this week too. Sometimes the 7-8 hour days really drag on, but this week it wasn't bad. I took the girls to the park a couple times and on Wednesday, we went to the farmer's market which was really fun. The girls got some fake roses and little butterfly things for their mom's birthday and I got some delicious tomatoes, pluots, squash, and a jar of homemade salsa for Max. 


my lovely, yummy farmer's market purchases! Got all this for under $10
the meanings of roses, I thought this was cute

I'm glad it's Friday though! I'm about to go do another workout since I don't count teaching as a workout even though I do most of the moves. I'm thinking of going to a BodyRok class at 8:40. Then it's off to work until 5 and finally I'll be driving out to see Max! We're going to a waterpark tomorrow which should be fun. Sunday we will probably swim and play tennis and then I'll drive back and spend the afternoon with friends at the beach! Fun weekend ahead!

What are your weekend plans?