Category Archives: Workouts

Planks in the Park (Free barre class!)

Posted in Adventures, Exploring Seattle, Workouts by

dailey-method-Oh, hi! Sorry to interrupt your holiday weekend, but I think I have some information that you’d be interested in!

My barre studio, the Dailey Method, is offering a free “Planks in the Park” community class THIS Saturday (9/12) at the Mercerdale Park (77th SE & SE 32nd) on Mercer Island.

If you’re interested in trying out barre, you should definitely check out this free community class. {Read my initial barre observations from early 2014. It’s been my go-to workout since then, excluding the queasy part of my early pregnancy and larger part of my later pregnancy.}

What should you bring? 

Bring a yoga mat, a water bottle and yourself! They’ll have a DJ and a great time. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The class will run from 9-10 a.m. and is open to all ages and fitness levels!

Will I be there? 

Maybe. The kid doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to join us outside of the womb, so while I won’t be doing barre (yet), I very well might be there to hang out and say hello to my long-lost barre friends! I hope to see you there and maybe I’ll bring orange slices Capri Suns, like my parents used to bring to soccer games?

Planks in the Park -- free community barre class by the Dailey Method

Planks in the Park — free community barre class by the Dailey Method

 

 

 

National Walking Day {2015}

Posted in Adventures, Holidays, Wine Wednesdays, Workouts by

2015-3-31 Walking DayTomorrow is a big day! In addition to Wine Wednesday and April Fool’s Day (prank ideas here!), it’s National Walking Day!

I’m a big proponent of walking and you know I’m going to celebrate this national holiday by tying up my shoes and strolling.

I’ve been a diligent FitBit wearer for nearly three years (I’m on my third iteration. The design keeps improving!) and I recently earned the Nile Badge for walking 4,132 total miles, the length of longest river in the world.

My much-deserved Nile badge for my thousands of steps

My much-deserved Nile badge for my thousands of steps

If you’re in downtown Seattle tomorrow, you should join me at the Union Bank on 5th and University from noon – 1 p.m. for a big, fun walk. KING5 is one of the event sponsors, so you might be able to get your 15 minutes of fame in at the  same time as your physical fitness!

Date: Wednesday, April 1
Location: Union Bank on 5th & University, Downtown Seattle
Time: 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

Happy walking!!

Adventures in barre

Posted in Adventures, Workouts by
The Dailey Method Barre Studio

The Dailey Method Barre Studio

The other night I was driving home from the park and ride and I spotted a new business on Megan’s Island: the Dailey Method barre studio. I did some research when I got home and discovered they have been open a few short weeks and were offering a tremendously amazing grand opening special. (The special runs through Feb. 15. Get your deal and join me!)

I have so many friends who love barre method and swear by it. I’ve been interested to try it, but the cost (typically $20 per class) and locations (not Mercer Island or close to my work) have deterred me… until now! The grand opening special was six weeks of unlimited classes for $100.

I went to my first class on Saturday and I had a pretty good run before coming down with the plague. I was terribly sore, but I kept going back, so that’s good, right? On the plus side, I’ve found muscles that I didn’t know existed and everything seems to be firming up. (I’m sure a lot of it is the work out itself, but I also give credit to actually working out so frequently.)

I’m planning on doing “bar-ray” (as Brandon calls it) very regularly for the next six weeks (minus the past 3 days when I’ve barely left my couch infirmary). Depending on the results, I may continue the bar-ray. If not, this will be a nice little jump start to my at-home workouts. I’ve taken “before” photos and plan on showing them off, once there is something to show off. Until then, I’ll keep you updated on the fun things I’m learning throughout this six week process. This is what I’ve got so far:

  1. They weren’t joking about those see-through Lululemon workout pants. Wowza.
  2. Turns out not everyone got the memo about their sheer qualities. (I’m looking at you, Ms. Downward Dog in front of me…)
  3. There are about 1 million uses for those karate belt/strap things.
  4. Saving your neck from strain is one of them. I’ll be using the strap a bit more today.
  5. It takes a completely frozen water bottle one hour in a warm room to start to thaw. (Not to self: remember thawed water bottle next time)
  6. Being sore is a state of being.

I’m really looking forward to getting well and jumping back on the bar-ray bandwagon.

Grace and Gusto

Posted in 2013 Pinterest Lifestyle, Workouts by

This year I’ve been trying out new recipes, workouts and crafts that I’ve found on Pinterest. I’m calling it my 2013 Pinterest Lifestyle Challenge. Follow along on Pinterest.

April's workout: Grace & Gusto

April’s workout: Grace & Gusto

This month’s workout “Grace and Gusto” was discovered on Comcast’s OnDemand and so far, I totally love it. The tagline for the program is “Get beautifully toned and energized with this graceful fusion of Pilates and ballet basics.” You can read more about it on Amazon.

I’ve had my challenges with Comcast and their billing and internet departments, so this is not an endorsement for the company per se, but I really like their fitness channel on OnDemand. There are a ton of options — cardio, dance, yoga, walking, weight loss, intervals, you name it, it’s there. The programs usually run for six months and they’re a great trial run for the real DVD or just a nice way to mix up at-home workouts.

In January, I did a walking and weights program from Prevention magazine. Read about it here. I didn’t see the expected results, but it was a great workout for general fitness and exercise. I still enjoy the treadmill programs to switch things up.

In February, I tried “Fab Ab February.” I paired the ab and push up exercises with intervals on the treadmill. I definitely saw a positive change in my upper body and core strength, but I managed to mess up my apparently-weak wrists. My wrists are improving, but they’re not back to where they were in January yet. Maybe in May?

March was a little rough and I was supposed to do a “March Forward” type of program on the treadmill. I was really busy with work, prepping for interviews, switching jobs and enjoying spring break and I didn’t really get a chance to work out. Just another reason to give Grace and Gusto a real go!

Go forth with grace and gusto! (And check out Comcast’s OnDemand exercise programming…)

New shoes?

Posted in General, Workouts by

Brandon and I are eating better and exercising more and I’m having a rough time with my knee and shins.  I’m thinking about trading in my current sweet kicks for some new ones.

Do you have any recommendations? What do you think of these New Balances?  They’re old school cool…

Old school cool?

Old school cool?