Try Something New

Is your routine growing stale? 
Bored of the same old same old? 
I have decided it's time to throw a little excitement in to the mix, here are three things I want to try! 

http://www.burlesquercise.ca/
What's this you ask? 
The web page says: 

What is Burlesquercise?
How many times have you heard, "It's confidence that makes a woman sexy"? Now you can enjoy this unique fitness dance class with a burlesque twist! Classes are designed not only to get you in great shape but also to unleash the sexy, confident and beautiful woman inside of you.

Using the methods of a trained dancer, you will be exposed to principles from ballet, jazz, latin and pilates. Get sexified by learning all the basic walks, struts, kicks and turns along with all the skills every woman should know with a feather boa!

Through learning the art of performance, you will empower and maybe even transform yourself. Every class leaves you with a mini routine that you can practice at home...or anywhere else if you dare!

Expect lots of gigglin' in this supportive, hilarious, and non-judgemental enviroment all while listening to great latin and contemporary music. Women of all ages, levels, shapes and sizes welcome!

Check out the Classes page for more information on the different classes offered.

Dance Classes! 

http://www.revolutiondancecalgary.com/

Kickboxing! 

http://www.foxykickboxing.ca/

Battling With My Curves

Looking around the gym this morning a thought occurred to me,

"What are we all doing here? What brings ALL of these people here?". Running, and cycling,jumping, pumping and crunching. 

What is it that we are fighting so hard for? 

The reasons behind one person's drive for fitness are so vastly different in comparison to the next. I couldn't begin to list them. The common denominator is a battle against the "bulge", a battle to whip our bodies in to submission. I find myself wondering why, for all the thousands of possible reasons. 

I can only answer for myself. I am here for the sake of my mind, having struggled for years with the ups and downs of depression and seasonal affective disorder, I am here to keep things in check. I can live without medication if I keep up a steady routine of physical activity. I am here for my health, with a family history full of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, I will do anything to lessen the chance that I might fall pray. I am here because it brings happiness to my life. I am happy and energetic and it would be a loss to go without those benefits. Lastly I am here for my younger self, the awkward, self conscious and shy girl I left behind me. I won't begin to tell you that I never feel self conscious, that would be a bold faced lie. There will always be days when I feel less than fabulous. I am comfortable in my skin, happy and proud of my curves. I admit to smiling at the discovery that my stomach is a little smaller, however I was horrified recently when I came to the realization that my chest was shrinking. Saying goodbye to my curves is not my aim, I aim to keep them! I want to be stronger, I want flexibility, and endurance. I want to run. I am lucky to have the ability to do so, so why not? Run, Walk, Dance, Jump. 

Someday I may not be so lucky. 

What are your reasons? What drives you to do the things you are passionate about? 

Another aspect of physical activity that mystifies me, is competition. Why are we so eager to compete with one another?
The competition is broad. We compete to see who can run faster, lift more weight, build more muscle, slim down faster, eat better, live better, who can achieve complete total mind/body perfection???!! Everyone is the expert, and you can't possibly be doing a better job of it than the next. 
Why? Must we "one up" our peers? Why don't we celebrate our personal best ? Can't we learn to cheer each other on? 
I would rather succeed and celebrate with someone. 

All of this reflection has me reeling. 
I pause, and I wonder if what I'm doing makes any difference to anyone else? How do I come across? Does it matter? I might just be another voice in the abyss, reaching out and hoping to be heard. I might also be a competitive kid on the playground
running, and jumping, screaming, "look what I can do, I can do it better, I can do anything you can do, I can do it better than you!" This is not my intention. You be the judge... 

My intention is to share my stories, what little wisdom I can bestow and all the inspiring and interesting content I happen to stumble upon. I can only hope that it's being met with open arms. 
*Crossing Fingers* I'll be your cheerleader, if you'll be mine. 

xoxo Erin 

Renew

Hello Friends. 

It's been a while. A month and one day, and where have I been? 

I wrapped myself up in stress and let time go. The stress started with a labor intensive art project, which is still under wraps so I can't really elaborate.. The project was fun, and a huge opportunity, something that could truly jump start my little art business. It means a lot of exposure, but it came at a price. The project was what I like to call a time eater, all of my free time was eaten up! 

I often fail to come to terms with the toll that stress really takes on me. All of that creative energy and emotional energy,spent. By the end of the project I was a mess. A tear filled basket case! Curtain up and stress rears it's ugly head. I begun to feel like a lost cause. I have managed to stay on track 75% of the time, still eating well and fitting in exercise where I can. The power house of motivation I started with however, went out like a tide. I have been at a stand still, waiting for that tide to come in. Where did all that motivation go? Between the stress, the anxiety and complete emotional exhaustion.. the motivation left me. High and dry. I let stress get the best of me and it completely took over. 

I have not been conquered by it, and this is where it stops.

 I have come too far to let stress stop me in my tracks. I am on a mission to renew the motivation. 

This week started with a groan and with a little help today I feel like I am standing on both feet again. 

After catching up on some sleep and giving myself a little pep talk. I fit in a workout tonight, to a DVD I found at Cash Converters, called The Method - Dance to Fitness - Made in 2003, the video seems a little out dated, but the dancing was relaxing, fun and I managed to get a good sweat on. It was comparable to Zumba, but much calmer and low key. A nice mix of ballet, latin and belly dance, the warm up and cool down included some easy yoga too! 60 minutes later I was a much happier Erin. I did some belated veggie prep today, I had intended to do it on Sunday, better late than never right? Carrots and peppers ready for the next few days of lunches. Tomorrow morning is another go of 6AM training. Oh that's right,Update time!:

 I have started training two days a week Mondays and Wednesdays at 6am. It was rough to begin with, but now the time really doesn't phase me, and when I leave I'm happy and showered, ready for the day. 

I have lost 7 pounds since my last post. A total of 32lbs lost in 3.5 months. My new goal is another 10 by the end of April. 

After all the chaos and stress I have come to the conclusion that I need a plan. 

I cannot let stress have its way with me anymore. 

Here is my plan to Renew: 

1. Keep up the food journal - I have tracked my eating every day now, even when I have failed to fit in a workout, keeping track keeps me accountable 

2.Take my vitamins everyday 

3. Workout - 6 days a week - I need momentum again, when I can keep this up, I'll work back down to 4-5 days a week, for now motivation is the word. 

4.Eat - All of the healthy, green and beautiful food that makes me smile. 

5. Plan to move - A solid plan to move my body everyday, even if it's not set in stone..

It might look like this:  Monday - Training  Tuesday - Running AM /Zumba class in the PM Wednesday - Class or a DVD at home Thursday - Running AM/ Step Class and Zumba class in the PM  Friday - Walking or Running and DVD at home Saturday - Day Off Sunday - Hot Yoga or Running 

6. Buy a Bicycle 

7. Workout with friends 

8. Reward myself accordingly. 

This month I bought an IPod to use at the gym, a cute little Nano touch, small enough to wear while working out or running. I also bought new jeans, a size smaller! and a new workout top and some yoga leggings!

Plenty of motivation. 

9. Celebrate - I was discussing this with my friend, I need to celebrate the successes, no matter how small. 

I forgot about the good, and was so intensely focused on the bad, it's time to remember the good! 

10. Be kind to myself. Sleep well, treat myself well mentally and physically. Don't be too hard on myself. 

Every day is a new day. 

So that's it friends. Time to renew. Hit the reset button and let's go! 

Cheers! and Happy Wednesday! 

xoxo Erin

A surprisingly fun and sweaty workout. 

My tiny IPod, full of music to keep me moving.