Earrings!

So, I am always trying to find something new and creative to do and recently I went to walmart and purchased a $4.00 kit and $5.00 3-in-1 tool in order to make earrings. I'm super excited about this because now, if I can figure out how to do it, I can make my own earrings for my belly dance costumes, or to just wear. And if I get really good, I can make earrings and sell them on the side for some extra cash. There is a Farmer's Market my troupe performs at in town, so maybe I could start there. Anyway I'm excited about this new venture and hopefully will have pics up soon of my efforts. In the mean time I'm still working on my stories. I've almost completed another first draft, which a collections of poems woven through a story of a seventeen year old girl. I'm probably going to self-publish it, so I'll keep you updated on my progress. Until next time, I hope you all have a wonderful and productive day. :)

Belly Fun!

So the last few months have been crazy! I've found a new job which I should be starting any day now and I have spending a lot more time with my niece and nephew, which I love. Also, I've been practicing and preparing for Cairo. No I'm not going to Egypt, but I am going to the Southern California Belly Dance event with my troupe. In between we've been performing at small gigs I have another one coming up this Sunday that I'm not ready for. But if you want to see what our troupe is all about, I have a small video here of us performing earlier this month. The gorgeous girl in yellow is my sis and I'm the one in black behind her. See if you can count how many times I mess up, lol.

Thirty Day Shred

So I've decided to hop onto the thirty day shred band wagon, along with some of my fellow blogging buddies. Yesterday was day one.  I wasn't planning on starting it.  I actually went to a cardio kickboxing class at the gym and then went to belly dance practice for an hour. When I got home around 9:30 P.M. I should have done my normal relaxing routing, but I felt I needed to do more.  So I pulled out the shred.

I did level one...but since I can't find my other three pound weight, I did level one with eight pound weights instead.  Wow is all I have to say.  With the eight pound weights I could see exactly which muscles I workout regularly and which need a little more attention.  Even the with the eight pound weights, I didn't feel the slightest burn in my biceps and I completed the back rows with no problem.  The squat with arm raise...yeah by the second set I was alternating two reps of side lunges with no arm movement with two reps with arm movement because my shoulders burned like crazy.  But hey, I figure heavier weight, faster results. :) I'm really trying to push myself through this.

As for measurements--I wish I had a measuring tape, but I don't. So all I have to go on is my weight and the way my clothes fit. I'll update you every week on my weight...The 26th is when I move onto level two. Let's hope I'm still going strong. ;p

In the meantime I hope all have a fantabulous day. ;p

IT'S HERE!!!!!

So yesterday I finally recieved my books and study guide for my AFAA primary group certification.  I've already read the first chapter and filled out the first section of my study guide.  I'm so excited, I can't wait for March 5 the day I go and get tested. The only thing I'm a little nervous about is the time.  Apparently, most people sign up at least thirty days before the day of the test, while I only have twenty days to study and catch up.  So we'll see if I can fit in all the studying I need to get done before hand.

I've also read that it's a good idea to pick out and practice the moves you're going to perform the day of the test, along with what you're going to say. If you're an instructor already, they recommend you perform the routine you normally do with your classes.  Eep! I don't know if that means I should have whole routine down or not....I don't know. This is so exciting and nerve racking at the same time.

Oh, and if I pass, I'll probably get one more aerobic certification, than I thought I'd try for a personal trainer certification.  But that probably won't be until the end of this year, or the beginning of next.  Right now I just want to get this certification and find a job.  When I get comfortable then I'll sign up to be a personal trainer.

Yeah, so that's all for today.  I hope you all have a fantabulous day.

Awkward Touch!!!!!!

Okay so this doesn't really have anything to do with anything.  Just feel like being silly.

Kicking Butt in Kickboxing!!

Today was the second day I have taken the bag kickboxing class at my gym and all I can say is OH...MY...GOD!  No matter if there are enough bags for the class or not, the instructor makes sure anyone who shows up feels the burn.  Last Wednesday we did Tabata drills.  For those who don't know what those are, it's a six minute interval where you go all out for twenty seconds and rest for ten seconds.  We did one Tabata drill for our upper body and, after some free weights, we did another Tabata drill for our lower body and finished with lower body resistance.

This week, because there were too many people in the class to use Tabata with the bags, we did a circuit.  This circuit included four different stations, two on the bags and two working either cardio or strength, for 45 seconds.  We did two complete rounds, after doing two minute drills working our hands for four rounds.  Our instructor finished the class up with: some defensive slides, jumping jacks, forward and backward runs, burpees and abs.  This doesn't include our warm up.

By the end of her class, if you're not dripping in sweat then you're not working hard enough.  Needless to say, this class is  becoming a staple in my weekly regiment.  Oh, and just a little warning.  If you take a kickboxing class, bag or no bag, never tell a guy who trains in any form of martial arts that you do it too.  My b/f is an MMA fighter and laughs every time a girl tells him she trains too because she takes kickboxing or Tae-Bo classes.  They're designed as aerobic workouts, not real fighting techniques.

 Sorry, but I had to throw my two cents in there. Too many people think they can defend themselves because they've taken these classes, when that's not what they are designed for at all.

Til my next post, I hope you have a fantabulous day.

I Did It!!!

I'm super excited!  You know how before I wrote that I was thinking about signing up for a Primary Group Certification so I could lead an aerobics class?  Well I totally signed up for it today!  I was going through the website, researching and whatnot, when I suddenly I was like "what the hell". So three weeks from now, hopefully I will be writing another blog telling you how I passed the certification and am ready to whip other workout peeps into shape.

Now all that's left to do is sign up for my CPR Certification. Oh and find a vehicle I can drive out to the workshop, but that's going to be easy peasy.  So yay for me! If I finish my children's book now I'll have another thing to celebrate.  :)

Hope you guys have a fantabulous day!

To Be An Aerobics Instructor Or Not To Be....

Lately I've been thinking about becoming an aerobics instructor.  I've been looking at ISSA and AFAA, but am a little confused about the prerequisites for certification.  I have sent a message to one of my friends who is an instructor, so hopefully she gets back to me soon because I really want to sign up for a certification class soon.  It would solve an issue I've been having about work and working out.  I figure this way, if I miss a workout, it's okay because my job is still active. Plus I enjoy instructing other people.  I've worked out with my friends and family for years and avidly read about fitness when I was younger, so I would correct the way they were doing exercises so they wouldn't A) injure themselves and B) so they would get the most out of the exercise. 

Also, if I was an aerobics instructor, it would give me more time to write and promote my books. Then maybe I could get paid to do two things I love! The only thing I'm worried about as an aerobics instructor is having to deal with someone who needs to be resuscitated. Even though I have to get my CPR certification in order to be an aerobics instructor, just the thought of having to use it scares the beejezus out of me. And who wants to put their mouth on a sweaty stranger?  I mean ewww gross.  I don't know.

Oh, and I know I haven't been keeping up with my workout journal like I should, but I have been working out, despite what my spotty record keeping skills say.  In fact, I'm going to spin tonight at 6 pm and then I have a great Zuzana workout I'm going to follow it up with.  Also, since I reached my goal of running two miles in 20 minutes, I set a new goal of being able to run three miles in 30 minutes and I'm only .15 miles away from accomplishing my new goal.  WooHoo!  Now if I could stay focused on my singing, dancing and writing goals, my life would be perfect....and I would probably be a robot. 

Well I hope you have a fantabulous day and I'll be back soon. :)

INSTANT INSPIRATION

I admit that sometimes life leaves me feeling a little overwhelmed.  Between work, trying to write a novel, making illustrations for my children's book and trying to stay fit it's hard to find inspiration to keep going.  Especially when I feel as if I'm going nowhere fast.  Everything I'm trying to do takes time to finish.  No instant gratification for this girl.  So even though I've made fourteen pictures, I still have ten more to go.  It took me weeks to make the fourteen, so I know it will take me weeks to make the remaining ten.  The same goes for fitness.  I have a limited amount of time when I can workout.  So the goals I've set for myself will take time.

Undoubtedly, after weeks and months of hardwork, a day comes when I can't override the trapped feeling I get.  That dark feeling that tells you no matter how hard you work you're never going to reach  your goals.  Yeah that one. When that feeling has taken hold I know I need som inspiration.  So where do I get mine? From lots of different places, but the best place I've found is bodyrock.tv.

This is the place where Zuzana blogs about her day and workouts.  I love her site because it's not just about fitness, it's about overall well-being.  She even has her own demons she had to overcome and openly talks about in an interview she posted on her blog.  On top of Zuzana, the community of bodyrockers is very inspirational and supportive too.  Not only about working out, but about other obstacles life may bring.  Each one has their own story and many openly share them.  It's truly an infectious site full of positive energy that reminds me I can reach my goals.  Not just in fitness, but in life too.  Also, after watching one of Zuzana's workouts, how can you not feel motivated to go out and do something? Below is the video for the workout I did yesterday.  I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful day.

So tell me, where do you draw inspiration for life from?

Singing and Cardio

My day was jam packed with things to do today, on top of singing and hanging out with my boyfriend I went for a hike up Batista Creek with my wonderful Mom, Aunt and Sisters. Let's say the hill was a little more grueling than I anticipated.  There were many places where it felt like we were climbing straight up, the grade was that intense.  But in the end, the view made it all worth it.  Here are a few shots I managed to take waiting for my sick sister and injured mother, who should really go to the doctor about her foot won't. I'm making an appointment for her tomorrow. :)

 So now that you've seen what I've done this past weekend, tell me, what did you do?

My First Post!

Hello Blogspot! This is my first post so I thought I'd give everybody an idea of what they can expect from me.  Basically this will just be a place for me to come and connect with people.  As well as a place for my daily ramblings.  One thing that I will be doing here is reviewing books! Yay for books!  I love to read and am working on my own books right now.  Every once in awhile I might post a snippet of my own work, but mostly I post that on my other site www.wheresmypecnil.wordpress.com, which is my official author site. This will be a little different blogging experience since it's not focused so much on my writing journey and work.  I hope to make many new friends here, because a person can never have too many. :) I haven't come up with a blogging schedule quite yet, but we'll see as we go.  So until then, I hope you have a great day and many memorable experiences.