Archives for July 2012

07/30

A Little Stretchy Stretch…

…on the Jetty Jet. 
Scoring a row all to myself on a plane is rare. 
But LOVELY. 
This happened to me when I flew to San Diego on July 4th. 
Sitting in the same spot for hours is not lovely. 
It’s stiffening. 
The point of this post? 
If you fly on a holiday (4th of July in this instance)
you score lots of room on the plane,  
then you get to stretch whenever/however you want. 
Happy Monday! 
Make this week your bitch. ; )  
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Filed Under: flying, stretching, travel
07/25

Trail Running: Pros and Cons

A few days a week Tango and I go over to Seneca Park to run the short Wilderness Trail loop. We enjoy it and there’s such a difference running trails instead of paved streets/sidewalks. Here are my pros and cons of trail running:
Pros:
  • Bonding time with Tango! He knows as soon as I put my running clothes on and grab my canteen that we’re going to this loop. He’s pumped and doing jumping 360s in the living room until I’ve got my ass out the door.
  • Consistency and an efficient movement break. This loop is only 2.2 miles and is 5 minutes from my house. We can go, run, and be back within 30 minutes so even on the busiest days, I can fit it in. If I’m not pressed for time I can do multiple loops.
  • Running on dirt and grass is way easier on my joints than concrete/asphalt! If you run frequently on hard pavement, your joints will start to feel it. If you’re training for races that you already know will be held on pavement, spend your training runs on the dirt or grass! You’ll go easy on your joints, plus you’ll train your ankles to take on forces from all directions from the uneven terrain.
  • Additionally, trails offer more to my running experience than running on pavement. First, I have to pay attention so I don’t bite it. There are level changes, there are small rocks and logs I have to jump over, I have to dodge tree limbs and roots, etc. The best thing though is that I pay less attention to how long/how far I’m running (’cause I don’t really like running more than 20 or 30 minutes) and more attention to the trail itself. It’s a bit more fun, plus I get the added coordination, agility, and ankle stability benefits. Multitasking!
  • We can go over around 8 or 9am when nobody else is on the trail. We have the whole thing to ourselves, Tang gets to run amok off-leash, and I can blast Pandora on my phone as loud as I want with whatever music I feel like running to… (hey, sometimes it’s a country music kind of day and I don’t want to wear my headphones).
Cons:
  • The downside to being one of the first peeps on the trail: Clearing out all the spider webs across the trail… WITH MY FACE.
  • Today’s count: 14 spider webs. Awesome.
‘NOTHER PRO:
  • Linking back to the last “con” above: being alone so that nobody can see me freak the hell out every single time that happens… Glad Game.
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Filed Under: Fitness, Glad Game, running, Tango, Wilderness Loop
07/21

Happy Saturday morning… and a new baby!

Not my new baby. Obvi. 
Anyway… One of my best friends,  Julie (last seen on the blog here) had her second this month! 
So I cruised down to Lexington a couple weeks ago to check him out. 
This is Bennett. 
PRECIOUS. 
Excuse the hair… 

You can’t steal babies. 
You can’t steal babies. 
You can’t steal babies…

I can barely handle that face. 

And big sis, Madelyn. Preoccupied… ; ) 

Happy Saturday morning everybody! 
I’m off to run in the park (for real this time… no pie making today), 
train a client, 
and then head to a pool party. 
Heeeeeey. 
Hope you guys have a great weekend! 
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Filed Under: babies, Bennett, Julie, Madelyn
07/20

My JAM this week…

I was cruising blogs on Wednesday afternoon
 and came across Shireen’s blog, 

High five, Shireen! 
I love the blog world. For gems like this. 

Girlfriend is living in Korea and has access to awesomeness like this one. 
This is hands-down the BEST music video I’ve ever seen. 
For your viewing pleasure:
This is now my new jam for the following reasons. 
*the song is awesome. duh. 
*this guy dances like I do. (go big or go home)
*the elevator scene alone: priceless
*this is pure entertainment, i don’t care who you are. 
This song will now be in my head for the next three days…
as well as in the heads of all my class attendees. 
NEW PLAYLIST TIME! ; ) 
I’m heading up to Indy today to teach a TRX course.
Hope you all have great weekends! 
*High five*
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Filed Under: blog, Jam, music
07/19

Inner Strength!

There are a lot of bootcamps, in a lot of towns across the country. 
The one Sarah and I run here in Louisville is awesome… 
if I do say so myself. 
Sarah and I make a great team
and together we run
Some bootcamps are hard and stressful. 
But here, we work hard AND have fun. 
Our crew is so motivated, 
so hardworking, 
and so entertaining at 6am. ; ) 
 
It makes getting up a 5:00am completely worth it. 
There’s a real team here. 
Our very own Inner Strength family. 
Yes, it’s early. 
Yes, it’s hard. 
Yes, you get dirty and sweaty. 
Yes, you get sore. 
But you’re stronger. 
And you’re tougher.
And you are better. 

Sarah and I would like to extend
 a big thanks, hug, and ass slap high five 
to all our
 past, present and future bootcampers. 
We love you guys! 
If you’d like to be a part of our team, check us out and come get after it with us next week! 
If bootcamps scare the crap out of you, check out my bootcamp tips here. ; ) 
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Filed Under: bootcamp, Fitness, Inner Strength, motivation, Sarah
07/18

Opening Day at Del Mar!

Where the surf meets the turf, 
down in old Del Mar
Take a plane, take a train, take a car. 
There’s a smile on every face 
and a winner in each race, 
where the surf meets turf at Del Mar! 
-Bing Crosby. 
The man could do no wrong, am I right?
Today is Opening Day at the Del Mar racetrack in San Diego and it’s a HUGE deal. (I mean, not bigger than the Kentucky Derby, but that’s ok.) I used to go every year that I lived there. My friend Brian, (who you’ll remember from here) and I used to board the double decker bus from his place in Solana Beach, ride over with our “beverages”, present our Diamond Club card and get into the races for a few bucks. I actually used to win money too… which I can’t quite say for this season at Churchill Downs. 
 “The Look Away”
With the horses, the people watching, the margaritas, and the winning tickets, 
it was the best way to spend a day. 
In San Diego, the racing circuit is only there for 8 weeks, 
so you’ve got to cram in as many trips as possible because it’s gone before you know it. 
And that’s what we did… 

Anywho, 
I miss living in San Diego every now and then,
 but I REALLY miss it today. 
I’m bummed that my trip a week ago didn’t coincide 
with Opening Day. Oh well. 
So good luck, San Diego friends. 
I’ll be thinking of you! 

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Filed Under: Brian, Del Mar, horse racing, San Diego
07/17

The Things I Learned Making Blueberry Pie…

  • Pie making can take precedence over anything else when you’ve got a craving. 
  • Even when you try to ignore it by putting on your workout clothes and getting your dog ready for a run… Don’t worry, I took him out after. He still loves me, see? Plus I gave him parts of the crust. ; ) 

  • Get your neighbors’ phone numbers in advance if you know you like to bake and want to avoid trips to the store when you only need a spoonful or two of ONE ingredient. I don’t have my neighbors’ digits. : (
  • Texting and asking for an ingredient on Saturday morning sounds way better than knocking on their door… especially when their significant other has spent the night. This was my predicament  when I stood staring at my neighbor’s front door after seeing her with her boo the night before. I chose not to knock and turned back to my house in search of another option. 
  • When you NEED a half a cup of shortening for for your bottom crust, and a half cup for your top crust and you only HAVE 3/4 of a cup… just go to the store. 
  • Because when you try to stretch it… the universe smacks you upside your dome and makes you drop your spoonful of it right on the kitchen floor. Now you HAVE to go to the store to buy more. #effoffuniverse
  • When your pastry is being a b*tch and won’t roll out correctly, DON’T GIVE UP. You’re better than that! 
  • Sure, I could have saved time had I thrown it away and started over, but I didn’t jack the recipe, I used the exact amount of ingredients and have made it a dozen times. Something was off and I couldn’t tell what it was. So I just made it work. And it did. #takethatsucka
  • Don’t pay attention to how much sugar and butter you actually have to use for your desserts… when you make them yourself, you realize how awful they are for you health-wise. Just measure, pour, and move on. Then go back in your brain, rewind, erase, and start recording over it… 
  • Don’t forget to close and pinch off the sides of the crust, top-to-bottom. ‘Cause if you don’t, blueberries seep out e’erwhere. And the aesthetic is gone. 
  • Even if it looks a HOT MESS, it’s still tastes awesome. 
Cherry Pie and Lemon Meringue musings of the past. 
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Filed Under: baking, learning
07/16

My Weekend Home

I was supposed to be in Cleveland this weekend, but my trip got cancelled at the last minute so I got to stay home and spend some time chillin’ and hanging with a lot of peeps I haven’t seen in a while. It was great!

I got up Saturday morning, 
put on running clothes for a run and workout, 
and then ended up making a pie instead. 
#ishhappens
as I said… ish happens.

I got to hang on the river with my brother and his family…

did a ton of playing 
and laying around with the Tang

and had my nephew, Jaxson school me in some puzzle-making. 

Can’t complain. 
#happygirl
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Filed Under: home, Jaxson, Tango, weekend
07/12

Stuck on YouTube for hours…

You know when you watch one video on youtube 
and then that turns into 50 videos on youtube 
and a wasted hour or two? 
Nah, me neither. 
Here are my recent faves: 
Accident fave: 
(skip ahead to the .56 mark)
Talent fave: 
(and they have multiple videos!)
Brilliant marketing fave: 

and this one too…

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Filed Under: funny, talent, video
07/11

Getting In Shape… In Every Budget!

If you ask most people one thing they’d like to change in their lives, they’d answer with, 
“I’d like to be in better shape.” 
When asked why they don’t, they usually reply with one of two things;
“I don’t have time.”
or 
“It’s just too expensive.”
While I can’t do anything to change your time management issues
 (that’s a whole ‘nother blog post)
 I can definitely tell you that money shouldn’t be an issue, and here’s why: 
You have many options to get in shape, no matter what your budget.

$$$$  
Hire a personal trainer! 
There’s no easier way than to hire somebody to tell you how to train, how often to train, and to make sure you’re doing it correctly. There are personal trainers at your gym, there are trainers at private clubs, there are even trainers that will travel to your home/office to train you at a time that’s most convenient for you. So there shouldn’t be anything holding you back other than finding a trainer that you like. Here’s a database that helps you find certified trainers in your area. Here’s one that helps you find TRX trainers in your area. Just make sure you actually do what they tell you… ; ) 
$$$  
Split the cost of a trainer between you and a friend (or three)
Hiring a trainer at $70+ an hour can get expensive after a while, but if you have a friend or two that wants to jump in, that will help offset costs and give you a workout buddy that will help keep you accountable for making it to your sessions. It’ll also make things more fun while trying to reach your goal. Costs usually drop down to around $30 to $50 per person, per session. And the more buddies you have, the cheaper it’ll be for each of you. 
 $$ 
Join a Bootcamp! 

Bootcamps sound scary, but in all actuality, they’re pretty fun. You have a whole crew of people to suffer with work out with, compete with, make jokes with, and before you know it, your workout is done and you’ve had a reasonably fun time! Bootcamps usually meet two to three times per week and the cost usually breaks down to anywhere from $12-$20 per session. This is a great way to get your workout in, have some fun, meet new people, and not break the bank. If you’re in the Louisville area, check out my TRX Bootcamp.
$
Group Fitness Classes!
There are all kinds of gyms that offer memberships for as little as $15 per month. Look for a new gym opening in your area. With the opening day sales, you can score a few months of membership at a low cost, and included in that membership is a whole schedule of FREE group fitness classes. Same idea as with bootcamp above; you don’t have to go alone. It’s fun, exciting, easy to jump in, and you have a qualified instructor telling you what to do and making sure you’re doing it correctly so you don’t get hurt. Plus, classes are usually unlimited! So you can go as many times per week as your schedule (and body) allows to get the most bang for your buck. And you have the option to mix it up. Spinning class one day, strength the next, cardio dance to shake your ass, and yoga to calm yourself down. You’ll have so much to choose from you won’t know what to do first. And you’ll never get bored! 
So if you want to get in shape, and your budget is holding you back, hopefully this helps. 
Questions? Shoot ’em over to me: fitwithflash@gmail.com
In the Louisville area & want to train with me?
www.amimcmullen.com

Now go get after it! 

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Filed Under: bootcamp, budget, Fitness, group classes, Inner Strength, money, personal training

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