Just Pump It

Yesterday was, what can only be described as, TOTAL insanity at work. Our "snow" (aka snow that never came) day on Wednesday messed up our 100th day of school celebration so yesterday my kids celebrated the 100th day of school + Valentine's Day + the Olympics all in one day. Not to mention some other stuff we had to do before the vacation. All fun stuff yes, but very exhausting. The end of the day was spent in the gym with 400 + children participating in the "Wacky Olympics." Also known as, 400 + kids running around and everyone screaming at the top of their lungs. It was a ton of fun and incredibly loud. Only two of my kids had complete hysterical breakdowns due to being completely overwhelmed which is pretty low considering I was pretty overwhelmed and I have 20 years on these kiddos. Let's just say vacation came right in time. So did my Valentine's Day present...

Yup, you saw it right- Footy pajamas! So soft and warm. Just a bit of a pain when you have to pee.

So soft and warm. Good times.

I am 24 hours away from my big trip to Arizona so today is all about preparations! I woke up bright and early and headed to Healthworks (not my normal gym, but I got an amazing deal on 24 day passes, so I'm trying out some classes there for fun). I was thinking about trying out an Urban Rebounding class but I wasn't in the mood to jump for 45 minutes straight, so I went for the Body Pump class instead.

I've read about Body Pump class on so many blogs so I was really excited to try it out. Since I have the ghetto membership to Healthworks I can't sign up for classes online or on the phone so I have to head in early to reserve my spot. I decided to go for the elliptical machine for some cardio before muscle building. I have to admit I've been unmotivated to do the elliptical since the Elliptical Challenge ended so I had to make sure I was 100 percent prepared. For me the Elliptical is all about preparation and entertainment...

I had my "plan" for my workout written down and ready. Plus I brought the book I am reading and a magazine (in case I got bored with the book, which never happened- this book is weird, but somehow has me hooked). I also had my Ipod on.

45 minutes later I got in line (yes there was a line) for the Body Pump class. Unfortunately it was such insanity I couldn't take any pictures (next time I'll try) but basically for the Body Pump class you need a barbell with some weights, a mat and a step. The class is an hour long and focuses on different muscle groups for 8 minutes or so each. This was the order we followed today, and I'm guessing it's similar each time:

Warm Up
Squats
Chest
Back
Biceps
Triceps
Shoulders
Abs
Cool Down

Body Pump is focused on muscle endurance so you are basically doing repetitions most of that time with one one brief rest per muscle group. There seemed to be a bit of a pattern to the exercises as well, but I'll post on that after I've attended a few more classes.

My thoughts on my first class were:
1. Wow this is a lot of people in one room.
2. I was a little bit cocky about weights because I have been lifting 3 times per week for almost 2 months now. Turns out I have not been working on endurance at all. This was a new challenge for me, which is good!
3. Getting the weights on and off the barbell is a pain especially when you are like me and have no idea what weight you should be using. The instructor tried to tell us, but it's a very personal thing I think. For example, I always die doing tricep exercises for some reason so I have to always make sure I go down a little lower for my tris than other muscle groups- this is definitely not true for everyone.
4. I'm definitely going to go again, it was a great class and a big challenge. The Saturday morning instructor was really upbeat and energetic and she did everything with us which is nice.

At the end of class I actually ran into one of my student's moms. I had no idea she was in class with me the whole time (that's how insane it was in the studio). It was nice to run into someone I actually know and have her call me Kelly, rather than all the random people I have been running into lately who I have no idea who they are (they have kids in other classes in the school) and they call me by my teacher name. I love my teacher name, but not on Saturdays haha.

Anyway, I have a long LONG list of things to do today. Basically all packing and cleaning...and some buying of snacks for the plane. Did you know US Airways not only charges for all checked baggage now but also they don't serve any food or play a single movie!? It's a six hour flight! I don't care about the food because I never eat it anyways, but a movie would be nice. Hopefully my computer battery will hold out for awhile. Check in tomorrow for a guest post from my awesome sister. I have no idea what it's about so I'll be in the same suspense you are :)

Quick Blog Update:
I *finally* decided on a new domain! I have to admit I debated about this WAY more than necessary. But in the end, I am going to be:

http://www.shewearsaredsoxcap.com

It's long, but I decided to go with it because it is my blog name. So, thanks Amber for the suggestion! According to blogger, it will be up and working for everyone in the next 3 days, so I'll let you know when it's working so you can fix up your google readers. Thanks for helping me make this decision!

Oh and also, I find the fad of answering anonymous questions really fun so I'm jumping on board. Any random question you want to ask me, just go here and ask it. Then I'll answer it on the blog some time soon. C'mon try it, it's fun!