11/18

Leaves Are Fun

So Sarah (the owner of Inner Strength) and I always seem to find a way to get into something ridiculous when we get together. This day, we were just letting Tango and Dasher (his GF/BFF) play. This is what it turned into:

Just rakin’ some leaves…

“Patrick! Come take our picture!”


“wouldn’t it be fun to jump in?”

This is Dasher, having a good time:


And I think this is my new, all-time favorite photo of the Tang:


We have a good time with our dogs.
Lesson of the day: Make sure you remember to relax every now and then, act like a kid, and have some FUN! Taking yourself too seriously is bad for your health ; )
Side note: make sure your pile of leaves is bigger than ours. We both hit the ground HARD. Guess you need more leaves when you’re not 3 ft. tall or 50 lbs. anymore…
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Filed Under: Dasher, fun, Sarah, Tango
08/25

Local Love – Waterfront Wednesday


In the summer time, the last Wednesday of the month is always blocked out on my calendar for Waterfront Wednesdays. Our local radio station, 91.9 WFPK, hosts a FREE, outdoor concert series that features artists from many different genres of music. Everything from pop to blues, to americana can be heard on their radio station. On tonight’s roster?

Audra Mae (6pm) Listen here.

The Dan Mangan Band (7:30-ish) Listen here.

and These United States (9-ish) Listen here.

If you don’t have plans tonight (and if you do, cancel them – this is waaaay cooler) you should bring a camping chair, a few friends, and come down and listen to some awesome talent. Added Bonus: You usually end up bumping into somebody you know. So that’s always fun too! See you there!
And if you aren’t lucky enough to live in Louisville, (hee hee) visit iTunes and download some awesome tunes from these kids. They’re all great!
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Filed Under: fun, Local love, Louisville, music, Waterfront Wednesday
08/11

Local Love – New 2 Lou

Are you New to Lou (isville)?

Being new to a city can suck. Or it can be wonderful. It’s all in how you look at things. I love moving to new cities. Getting to start over and make new friends is very exciting to me but it can take a while to make some new friends/acquaintances and to find all the cool stuff to do in a new place.

My new friends, Stacey and Amador, thought the exact same thing when they relocated to Louisville a couple years ago, so they decided to start New 2 Lou. This new social networking group meets on the 2nd Wednesday of every month. They choose a different venue every time and invite Louisville newcomers as well as locals.

Here’s a short bit from their Facebook fan page:
“What do we do? Socialize, meet new people, ask advice for places to eat, get your hair cut, live, park, etc. Where do I get breakfast at 4 in the morning? What about my haircut? Are there any drink specials on Wednesdays? Any free local music? Heard of City Scoot? What about the PARC card?
Not New2Lou? That’s OK, you’re invited too! After all we need insider information from you!”
Conrad (the hubs) and I went last month and had a ton of fun. We met some cool people, found a great new tea cafe, Hillbilly Tea, and made some new friends we’ve hung out with a few times since. Their next social is tonight at Bodega on Market Street, downtown! I’ll head down for a bit and hope to meet some new, cool peeps!



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Filed Under: fun, Local love, Louisville, networking, New2Lou, social
07/20

Last Day for the Give Away!


Today’s your last chance to win 3 FREE Personal Training sessions with me!

Leave a comment at the bottom of this post or send me an email (fitwithflash@gmail.com) to enter. Leave a sentence or two telling me why you want/need a trainer.
I’m drawing the winner in the morning! Good luck!
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Filed Under: fun, give away, personal training, winner
07/10

What to do at the gym… when you don’t know what to do at the gym

Ever gone to the gym and just stood there looking at all the people working out… and then wondered to yourself,”OK, I’m here. I have one hour to work out. What now?”


I know. I’ve been there too. The solution? GROUP CLASSES.


Why? Because the instructors tell you what equipment to use, how many reps to do, how to do it right, how not to do it wrong. AND you are off the hook of trying to figure it out all on your own. Plus, at most gyms, the group classes come free with your memembership. So if you don’t have extra money for a personal trainer, and you don’t know how to use those crazy machines, you can walk right into a 5:30 afterwork Strength/Sculpt class and walk out an hour later with a structured workout, and no stress.
“But working out isn’t fun.”
Then what’s fun? Do you like to dance? Try a hi-lo class, cardio dance, or Zumba. Shaking your booty is good for your heart and mind and can lead to a huge calorie loss. You don’t have to be lifting weights to be working out. Have fun moving. Calorie burning is just a side effect.


“But I have no rythym!”
It’s ok. Not every group class is Jane Fonda’s Step Aerobics. Classes like Body Sculpting, Strength, Abs, Bootcamps, and TRX are all good choices for those who want to work out in a group setting without having to stay with a beat and remember choreography.


“But I’m a guy, and guys don’t do group”
Sure they do. Maybe not Cardio Dance, but my Bootcamps and TRX classes have been filled with guys. You don’t always have to take a class that starts with “5,6,7,8!” When guys take a class it can up the ante for everybody else in the class, even other guys. The great thing about taking a class with somebody right next to you is that you’re less likely to stop when you’re tired. “Well, he’s still going, I can keep going too.” That level of competitiveness can make you work harder and make gains faster.


“But I have bad knees (shoulders/back/wrists), I can’t do it.”
No worries. Just talk to your instructor right before class starts. Let them know of any physical limitations or health conditions you might have. They’ll be sure to give you alternative movements if something in class is going to put stress on you. If you can’t talk to your instructor before class, wave them down if a certain exercise is bothering you. They’d rather give you a modification than have you standing around doing nothing. Any good instructor will give higher and lower modifications during a class anyway, but don’t be afraid to let them know of any joint pain. It’s their job to make the class worthwhile for every person in that room.


“But I don’t want anybody to see me, I don’t know what I’m doing.”
I get it. When I’m teaching, I’m front and center and it’s the Ami Show! But when I’m taking a class, I hang out in the back corner where I can see everything but nobody can see me. Wherever you need to be is fine, as long as you’re moving. The superstar ‘regulars’ of class will fight to be in the front anyway. You can watch them or your instructor if you’re not sure of the exercise.


The point of this post is to get the most out of your time at the gym. Walking around looking at the weights and machines and wasting time isn’t going to do much for you. There are lots of varieties of class throughout the day at the gym. Pick a new one every time you come: TRX, yoga, bootcamp, kickboxing, pilates. You’ll learn different styles of working out, get to know people at your gym, and you may even pick up some new exercises for when you do need to work out on your own or at your house. Eventually you’ll have a repertoire of exercises and won’t need classes. But I’ll bet you’ll find yourself coming back regardless. The music and energy of a group class is contagious and fun. That hour will go by before you know it!

So try something new at the gym this week. Your body will thank you.
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Filed Under: fun, group classes, motivation, TRX
07/06

Scripps Peeps – Campus Point

So my Scripps crew at Campus Point is the crew that I see the most. We trained 3 days a week, two classes at a time. They’ve done a lot of hard work with me over the past couple years, so for my last day with them, we had pure, elementary school, FUN.
Here are photos from our very own FIELD DAY!

We had the human knot:

We had the water balloon toss:

And a lot of fun with the 3 legged race:

It was kind of hard to get all the photos to fit on this one post so I made some collages on Picasa. To see them more closely, email me and I’ll send you the originals. Miss you all! Including you, Tabatha! 😉

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Filed Under: Campus Point, Field day, fun, San Diego