Archives for March 2011

03/30

My Favorite Song in 1996:

Goodness. Do you guys remember how AWESOME this song was/is? It’s on a couple of my workout playlists. Did this video make anybody else really excited to go to summer camp and kiss a boy underwater? I was under the impression, after watching this video 1,000 times, that’s what happened when you went to summer camp.

I went to summer camp the following summer with my hopes up:

Letdown #1. All girls camp. No kiss underwater for this chica.

Letdown #2. No tire swings over the lake. What the heck?!

Letdown #3. Picturing yourself singing with your friends, around the bonfire at a lake, in a half-top, looking like a young Mariah Carey is fun. In all actuality, I was a gangly 12 year old in an american flag, one-piece swimsuit, on the dock, trying to fold my towel into a miniskirt… not really the same thing. Oh well, it was fun anyway.

Congrats to Mariah on her upcoming twins. Sista’s acted a bit cray-cray these past couple years, but she seems happy now, so cheers to her.

posted by Ami McMullen 3 Comments
Filed Under: Mariah, motivation, music

03/29

Meet your new best friend…

Body, meet Foam Roller. Foam Roller, meet Body. You two are going to get along just fine.

The Foam Roller is one of the GREATEST THINGS EVER INVENTED for active people. Do you like to work out? Are you a runner? A cyclist? An athlete? Do you move? Yes? Thought so… chances are you need a foam roller. Why? Because it keeps your muscles/fascia happy, and once you do it, you’ll be a little bit addicted.

The foam roller is a great tool because:

a) it’s cheap (find one for around $20 online or at your local sports equipment retailer)

b) your muscles and fascia get really tight and knotted up and need to be worked on in order to perform their functions effectively and efficiently.

c) it’s a LOT less expensive than getting a sports massage every week.

SMR – Self Myofascial Release

I could go on and on about the science behind Myofascial Release (rolling out the kinks in your body) but I’ll save you time. Read this definition and this article …and this one is good too. Think of your body (muscles/tendons/fascia/etc) as having parts that look like crumpled up pieces of paper and the foam roller as a giant rolling pin ready to smooth them out so they can work properly.

Which one to get:

All foam rollers are a little bit different. The white ones are a little softer and I’d recommend these to anybody just getting back into working out or are new to foam rolling. The only drawback to the white ones is they tend to losr their shape quickly if you’re using them a lot. When they lose their shape, they don’t really roll anymore. Think: square rolling pin. So… that’s something to think about.

The black ones are a lot harder so they’re going to be a little more intense. But they’re also more durable.

Most other colors, (blue, green, purple) are right in the middle. If you’re in the store with them, you’ll be able to feel how hard they are. These are probably the best bet for most people.

How to do without hurting yourself:

If you know/have a Physical Therapist or Chiropractor, they can help you with the correct form for different exercises and stretches. Don’t have one of those? Find a trainer at your gym that knows about foam rolling. They can show you a few things. Or check with IDEA Fitness Connect (online database of certified trainers) to find a trainer in your area that could help you out safely.

A couple of books that talk about Foam Rolling:

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Functional Training has a great section on foam rolling. Buy here. Written by Justin Price, MA, and Fraces Sharpe.

The IMPACT! Body Plan has one too! Written by Todd Durkin, MA. Buy here.

Both are written by friends and colleagues of mine that are the BEST at what they do. Trust.

posted by Ami McMullen 1 Comment
Filed Under: Foam Roller, muscle soreness

03/26

Travel Thoughts – LA (again)

Ah, it’s good to go back to Southern California
“I’m goin back to Cali”
“It never rains in Southern California”
“California… knows how to party”
Ok CA songs in my head have got to stop…
First American Airlines flight… looking forward to somthing new.
Whenever I go to the bathroom on flights I feel like the plane will drop, sending me flying up and hitting the roof… kinda like Charlie in the first episode of LOST. I go fast.
Reading a GREAT new book. Will tell all of you about later.
NBC on the plane is awesome. Parks and Rec, 30 Rock, Jay Leno shorts, Jimmy Fallon shorts. Time is flying by.
I haven’t even used all my iPhone/Mac batteries yet.
Watched The Kids Are All Right
GOOD movie. Lots of sex scenes.
It’s REALLY awkward to be watching sex scenes when other people can see your computer screen. Especially when it keeps happening.
Also on the list of airplane awkward? Laughing outloud at the movie you’re watching when nobody else is watching it with you.
Dang.
Here. Yay. Thank you for letting me live another day, pilots. High Five.
It’s really fun to be up 3 hours before everybody else.
Oh well, I’ll just have to go back to sleep.
Twist my arm.
Friends last night, friends today, TRX tomorrow, other friends tomorrow night, home on Monday.
Happy Weekend, everybody!

image via We Heart It.

posted by Ami McMullen 5 Comments
Filed Under: L.A., travel, travel thoughts

03/24

Moving Day 2011

It’s always a blast when the whole fam damnly gets together. Remember Baking Party 2010?

My mom just moved into a new house last weekend so we all (the aunts/cousins/children) had to be there in order to help take care of the crap work that comes with moving into a new house; hanging drapes, installing new towel racks, decorating, etc. My two aunts and I decided to get mom a new entertainment center so we ventured to the store to let her pick one out. Then we put it together. Six of us, 5 hours. Not even kidding.

Before:

22 Pages of Directions. I’m not even kidding.

#1, 2, and 3: Goodness Gracious. #4 Ice Cream Man’s in the ‘hood and we need a break. #5 This sucks, but we got it.

Tang’s there for moral support. Really, he’s just bored because we’re not playing with him.

Allison’s been watching a lot of DIY and HGTV lately. So she’s just the “designer” which really means “I’m just here to supervise.”

4 hours in and we realize a little something…

Thank goodness Allison brought her bf, Jacob. We’ll MacGyver this ish if we have to.

We find a random piece under the coffee table. “Where the H does this go?!”

5 hours later. Done. and Done.

Ask us if we care that you can’t actually see the finished product. Go ahead, ask us.

posted by Ami McMullen 1 Comment
Filed Under: family, girlfriends

03/23

Goodbye, Old Hollywood

Elizabeth Taylor 1932-2011

“I call upon you to draw from the depths of your being – to prove that we are a human race, that our love outweighs our need to hate, that our compassion is more compelling than our need to blame.”

– part of her acceptance speech from receiving the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian award in 1993.

posted by Ami McMullen 3 Comments
Filed Under: Elizabeth Taylor, humanitarian

03/23

Me, Jenn, Christy

Remember these chicks? Well they came to the Ville on Saturday for a girls’ day. We ate a lot of food. Good times.

First on the list? Breakfast at Lynn’s Paradise Cafe. This cooky little place is a staple in Louisville. Fun decor, REALLY amazing food, funky gift shop.

And the stick-your-head-in-the-wooden-cutout-thingys are always fun too…

Look whose belly is adorable… We’re using her as our excuse for eating a ton today.

Onto the Homemade Pie and Ice Cream Kitchen. Yes, it’s as wonderful as it sounds. No, you can’t eat like this all the time. All in moderation.

We did a bunch of other stuff, but didn’t take photos. So we took a group shot at the end of the day. And they were bitches. Just like last time. Ladies, no more couch photos. That’s it. You’re cut off.

posted by Ami McMullen 3 Comments
Filed Under: girlfriends

03/22

Whatchu Want?

You peeps liked my plank tutorial I did a couple of weeks ago (or 5 of you did), so I’m going to do another exercise tutorial: show you how it’s done, where you should feel it, and how NOT to do it. I’ll let you choose the type of exercise though, ’cause I’m nice like that. : )

Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)

posted by Ami McMullen 1 Comment
Filed Under: exercises, poll, tutorial, vote

03/21

TRX Rip Trainer!

TRX Training has introduced the new TRX Rip Trainer! It’s very exciting in the world of fitness. Why? Because I said so. Ha! Kidding. (But really folks) I can attest to its effectiveness. While I was at the annual TRX Instructor’s Summit in San Fran last month, we all got a Rip Trainer workout and we were ALL feeling it for the next few days. A bunch of fitness professionals, feeling it. My core was so sore it hurt to laugh, cough, sit up. LOVED IT. Watch the vid. Check it out. (I’m in it. Kind of. In the background. But still still, technically, in it.)

The Rip Trainer is similar to the TRX in that it’s lightweight (4 lbs), easy to travel with, able to be set up anywhere (indoors, outdoors, etc), and it’s works your entire core while you’re targeting other muscle groups. It uses asymmetrical loading of the resistance cord to constantly challenge one’s balance and force maximum muscle recruitment. Can your chest press machine do that? Nope. So scope it out here. If you’ve got questions, let me know!

And a big CONGRATS to Kathy! She is the proud new recipient of 2 personal training sessions with me. Because she was the only one around who entered. Sorry CA peeps. : ) Kathy! Email me with your schedule so we can get you hooked up. Guess who gets to be one of the first to try the new Rip Trainer? That’s right.

posted by Ami McMullen Leave a Comment
Filed Under: core, personal training, Rip Trainer, TRX

03/18

For Japan, With Love

I’m a big fan of donating to the Red Cross in times of emergencies, but this page, For Japan With Love allows you to donate money for families in need in order for them to receive a Shelter Box. The amazing thing is that Ever Our s and Utterly Engaged set this page up to raise enough funds to cover 5 boxes: $5,000. The site had already raised over $30,000! At least by the time I donated… So head on over and donate whatever you can afford. It’ll go a long way.

“Shelter Box provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most. Eash large green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items. A whole box costs $1,000 (USD), so we’re hoping to raise enough to send 5 boxes. “

Please donate what you can and join the world to let Japan know they are not alone.