Category Archives: Fitness

500 Posts! (or A Reason To Celebrate!)

Posted on June 13, 2014 | 6 comments

Today’s post is about a lot of good things that have happened lately.

First of all, like the title of this post says, this is my 500th post on Finding My Inner Bombshell! That’s so bonkers to me! I write 5 days a week so that means I’ve been writing for 100 weeks. So yes, that also means that my 2 year anniversary of the blog is coming up soon as well.

I’m still in shock how this blog really has become an important part of my life. When I started, I hoped I’d be able to keep it going. Now when I’m not writing on the weekends, I feel like something is missing. I’ve made new friends because of the blog and I’ve become closer to old friends because of my honesty here. It’s just awesome.

The next part of my awesome news is that my mom got her BRCA test results back and she doesn’t have the gene mutation! When my mom texted me with the news, I cried in relief. This is a weight lifted off my shoulders (and I’m sure the rest of my family feels this way). When I talked to my mom that day, she said that getting these results have allowed her to relax and she can go on and enjoy life. And for me, it means that while I still have a higher risk of getting breast cancer in my life because my mom had it, it’s not nearly as high of a risk if I had had the gene mutation.

I’m still going to be monitored much closer and I’ve already talked with my gynecologist about setting up a mammogram appointment after I see her (I’m sure I’ll be writing about that appointment when it happens because I’m still crazy nervous about it).

The third, and technically, final good news is that I’m finally starting to get back on track with losing weight. I’ve lost about 10% of what I had gained recently. It’s not a lot, but it’s totally a start. I’m working on my eating and I’ve been working out again. My journey is still going to be a long one, but I’m happy to be moving in the right direction again.

And in other celebratory things (but not technically good news), today is my friend Kate’s birthday! I’ll be seeing her next week, so we’ll get to celebrate her birthday then, but I wanted to acknowledge how amazing of a friend she is. She was the first person I talked to when my mom was diagnosed with cancer. She kept the news a secret for a while until my mom was ready to go public with the news. And she was there to listen to me whenever I was freaking out or having a tough time. Not many friends would or could do that and I’m so insanely grateful that she was willing to be there for me.

So to recap: yay for 500 posts, yay for my mom not having the BRCA gene, yay for me losing some weight, and happy birthday to Kate!

I love how my life has become so wonderful and positive!

6 Comments

Posted in Celebrations, Family, Fitness, Food, Fun Stuff, Health, Tough Stuff, Weight Loss

Tagged anniversary, birthday, blogging, breast cancer, cancer, mom, weight loss, workout

Going Orange Again (or Having A Successful Second Workout)

Posted on June 12, 2014 | 1 comment

My first experience at OrangeTheory Fitness was good, but the few days after it were pretty painful. But I didn’t want to be scared of any workouts, especially because this one was so different from anything else I’ve ever done.

So as crazy as it sounds, I went back to OrangeTheory this week! I tried an after work class, which in itself is challenging for me. When I workout in the morning, I know exactly what I should eat before working out. I almost always have a glass of chocolate milk (I like the 100 calorie pre-packaged kind). But working out in the afternoon means trying to figure out what to put into my body for breakfast, lunch, and most likely a snack before working out and hoping that it won’t make me nauseous (either from feeling full or feeling light-headed).

I managed to do ok with my food this week, so I was only nervous about the class. Check in was much easier this time since they know me there now (I was even greeted by name when I walked in the door!). I got a heart rate monitor from the front desk and got ready to workout.

This time, I tried doing the treadmill workout first and the rowing and strength second. The treadmill was still tough on my hips, but I think that that is something that won’t go away (it’s similar to the pain I get sometimes doing my 5Ks). I did push myself a bit with the incline on the treadmill, but I kept my pace a bit slower than I’d like to be.

For rowing and weights, I did as much as I could. There was one round of squats that I didn’t do so well because I’m scared to hurt my quads again. And we had to do burpees, which is something I’ve never done before. The instructor showed me how to do modified ones (basically making them low-impact instead of high-impact). I did a couple, but I have to say that burpees make me feel dizzy! The instructor said that some people experience that because you are going from upright to parallel to the floor so quickly and often. But I took some breaks and managed to do my sets.

Overall, my workout didn’t burn quite as many calories as my first one did, but I still did pretty awesome.

Again, the green zone is the fat burning zone and I managed to stay in that for almost the entire class!

And I’m happy to report that I don’t feel any crazy pain after this workout! So clearly I just pushed myself way too hard the first time.

I really enjoyed the class again and I’m planning on going back hopefully next week. If anyone wants to join me, let me know! I believe that you get your first class for free!

1 Comment

Posted in Fitness, Fun Stuff, Health

Tagged cardio, class, Orangetheory, pain, strength, workout

ClassPass (or Attempting To Workout While Hurting)

Posted on June 10, 2014 | Comments Off

Last week I had the opportunity to take a workout class to celebrate the launch of ClassPass in Los Angeles. If you aren’t familiar with ClassPass, it’s actually a really amazing concept.

You pay a monthly membership to ClassPass and you have access to take classes at tons of different workout studios. You can go 10 times each month and you can take such a great variety of classes. There is spin, Pilates, yoga, strength training, boot camp, and barre classes just to name a few.

The classes that was part of the launch event was a barre class held at Exhale in Hollywood which is located in the Loews Hollywood hotel. I had never been to Exhale before, but I have to say that it was pretty amazing.

First of all, there is free valet parking for people going to Exhale. Considering that I would have had to pay about $10 in the lot across the street, free valet is quite a nice thing.

The workout studio in Exhale had just opened last week, so the group I was with was part of one of the first classes there!

Exhale is also a spa! We got a little tour of the spa areas as well.

The workout class that we were going to take was a barre class. I’ve never taken a barre class before, so I was pretty nervous. This was also only 2 days after my crazy workout at OrangeTheory so I was in a lot of pain and was having trouble moving.

My plan was to watch the class since I figured I really couldn’t do much. But the instructor encouraged me to try to do as much as I could, and I’m glad that she did!

The class was actually something I was able to do! There were a couple of things that were not going to happen with the pain that I was in, but I think I was able to do about 80% of the workout! And I was surprised that I loved the barre class! Most of the classes I’ve enjoyed in the past are high-energy classes with really loud music. This had music, but it was much quieter and the class was much more controlled than most of the classes I’ve been to.

After the class, I was surprised that I wasn’t in more pain. I wasn’t feeling much better either, but I expected to hurt a lot more. The class was pretty low-impact so it’s good for my hips. Turns out it was good for my sore muscles as well.

After the class we had a little tent outside the studio for some snacks and to have some time to chat with the founders of ClassPass. The snacks were quite yummy!

We also got some really fun swag bags!

Part of the swag bag is a one month membership to ClassPass! I’m so excited that I can try out a ton of new fitness studios this month! I’m totally going to take another barre class and I’d really love to take Pilates again (I used to take Pilates years ago).

At the end of the launch event, I just took a moment to admire how amazing it is to be in Los Angeles. I’m so grateful to live in this city and sometimes the cool views (and pools) still impress me!

Thank you so much to ClassPass for inviting me to such an awesome event! I highly encourage all my LA readers to check out ClassPass for themselves (it’s also in NYC if you live there!). It’s so great to not have to feel tied down to one studio and to get to try everything to see what you love!

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Posted in Fitness, Fun Stuff

Tagged Orangetheory, workout

Dealing With The Pain (or Not All Pain Is The Same)

Posted on June 5, 2014 | Comments Off

After my class at OrangeTheory, I was pretty sore. My quads were shaking a lot during the class because we did what felt like 500 squats.

I figured that when I got home, I’d take a pain pill, take a long shower, and I’d feel fine. That’s not at all what happened.

The day of the class, I was sore but it wasn’t too bad. I took my prescription Motrin and that’s it. The next morning (Monday), when I tried to get out of bed I fell onto the floor and it took a good few minutes before I could stand up. And once I was standing, walking wasn’t exactly and option for me.

I took my prescription Motrin as well as one of my stronger painkillers (because of all my hip issues I’m pretty stocked up with painkillers) and did my work for the day. Thank goodness my desk chair is on wheels because I spent most of Monday getting around my house on that chair.

Before going to bed on Monday, I tried a prescription painkiller cream and hoped for the best that night. I really didn’t sleep too much. Every time I shifted in bed my legs felt like they were on fire.

Tuesday was pretty bad as well. I was very careful walking around my house and did manage to make it to the store to get some Icy Hot, which I had never tried before for my pain (since my hip pain is in the joint, most topical creams won’t help me at all). I also went to a blogger event (post to come about that soon) where I was forced to move around. It was very very painful but it did seem to help afterward.

As I’m writing this on Wednesday, I’m still wincing every time I sit down or stand up and walking is still tough for me. I’m hoping in the next day or two all the pain will be gone.

What I’m assuming happened was I completely overdid it in the workout class. Your muscles have to tear a little to build up and get stronger, and I probably tore too much of my quads in that class (which is ironically one of the things I was misdiagnosed with when my hip problems started).

This is a setback for me, but I’m not letting it get me down. I feel like I’m kind of a pro at dealing with pain and I know that I will get through this. I just have to take it easy and not push myself. That’s tough for me because with my hip issues, sometimes I have to push myself to make it feel better. But right now, rest and painkillers are my best friends.

And like I said before, I’m taking this all as a sign that I have to go back and workout more. I shouldn’t feel like this after a class and clearly I need it (or something like it) to make sure that I get stronger and this never happens to me again.

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Posted in Fitness, Health, Tough Stuff

Tagged class, fitness, pain, workout

OrangeTheory Fitness (or Pushing Myself)

Posted on June 4, 2014 | 10 comments

This past weekend, I was invited to check out OrangeTheory Fitness. This chain has been around for a couple of years, but their first Los Angeles location is about to have their grand opening in a few days. So before the grand opening, a couple of us were invited to take a free class and see what OrangeTheory is all about.

The studio is in Brentwood, so it’s not super close to my house but not unreasonably far either. There’s valet parking in the building and OrangeTheory validates your parking so you get free valet for 90 minutes (the class is an hour long so you should be able to not have to pay at all to park)!

When I walked in to the lobby, I checked in and tried to get ready for a workout that I had no idea if I could do.

OrangeTheory is like group personal training. Each class is an hour-long and the class is split up into 2 groups. Each group does cardio and strength, but one group does cardio first and the other does strength first.

The group I was in started on the rowing machines. We did about 4 minutes of rowing (which I had only done maybe once or twice before in my life) and then we moved on to strength training. We used TRX suspension bands and did some squats and lunges. We were told what each exercise was and how many times to do each one, but the number of times we did the circuit was up to us. I made it through the circuit twice before we went back to the rowing machines.

Then it was about 5 minutes of rowing and we headed back over to the strength training area. We did some arms and shoulder exercises and then ended with some planks.

Then it was time for the groups to switch. My group moved on to the treadmills (the other group started on the treadmills and when we switched they did the workout that my group just finished). On the treadmills, you were given the option to run, jog, or power walk.

Of course, I went with power walking. You started at a base level and every couple of minutes you would push yourself. The runners and joggers went faster and the power walkers made the treadmills go up in incline. It was tough.

When the class was over, we all came together to stretch and cool down a bit. Then it was time for something that I found super cool.

Everyone in class wore a heart rate monitor. This is something that I’m used to, but I only really wear mine to tell me how many calories I burned in my workout. During the entire class, there were tv screens showing everyone’s heart rate. And the heart rates were divided into zones (basically easy effort, light effort, medium effort, tough effort, and maximum effort). The goal of the class was to spend a majority of the time in the medium and tough effort zone (the tough effort zone is the orange zone, hence the name OrangeTheory). I didn’t make it into the orange zone too much, but I did do a pretty awesome job.

I spent about 50 minutes of the class in the green, or medium effort zone. That is also known as the fat burning zone. So I pretty much spent the entire class burning fat.

That chart was also emailed to me so I could keep it for my records. And fortunately, the heart rate monitors we had to use in the class also tracked calories burned (at the front desk they got our age, height, and weight so the calorie burns are pretty accurate).

This class was extremely tough for me. My hips started to kill me toward the end but I burned so many calories in this class! And when it was done, I was absolutely dripping with sweat.

I’m thinking that I might add this into my workout routine. It’s very different from anything else I’m doing and it totally pushed me (just like how at SoulCycle I work harder than when I bike on my own).

The only downside right now is that I pushed myself so hard that my body is having a bit of a tough time recovering. This class was on Sunday morning and I’m writing this on Tuesday evening. My legs are still a little wobbly and very sore. I probably pushed myself too hard, but this proves to me that I need to be working harder.

They are offering free classes at OrangeTheory Fitness through this weekend (when the grand opening is happening). I encourage everyone to try to check it out! And once it’s open, there are options to buy various types of memberships and class packages. I’m seriously looking into what option is the best for me.

All I have to wait on now is for my soreness to go away so I can take another class!

10 Comments

Posted in Fitness, Fun Stuff, Health, Tough Stuff, Weight Loss

Tagged cardio, class, Orangetheory, strength, workout

Honesty Time (or Going Backwards)

Posted on June 3, 2014 | 1 comment

I haven’t talked about weight loss on here for a while. And it’s because things are going so great for me right now.

In fact, I’ve gained a decent amount of weight. I haven’t gained everything that I lost, but I gained back a good chunk of it.

And I haven’t wanted to share that on here because I don’t want to disappoint you all. But then I realized that everyone who is going through weight struggles has this moment. I’ve had it before and I’m sure I’ll have it again.

What makes this different is I stopped it (or at least realized it) before all the progress I had made disappeared. And I’m trying to take steps to go back in the right direction.

Why the weight gain? Well, lately both my food choices haven’t been great and I’ve been skipping workouts. So of course I should expect weight gain.

The thing is, I didn’t realize how long it had been since I last worked out. When I finally looked at my history at SoulCycle, I realized that I haven’t been there in a month. And my last workout was the blogger event at FlyWheel. But that was several weeks ago.

Since realizing this over the weekend, I have had a big workout (but that will come in another post). But missing workouts was only part of the picture. Food is always going to be a battle for me and I don’t want it to beat me. So I downloaded several books onto my kindle about eating disorders (mostly on binge eating but some on eating disorders in general).

I starting with a book that I saw recommended on another blog that I read. I’m about a third of the way done with it and it is eye-opening to see that other people have the exact same struggles that I do. Somehow it feels like eating disorders are a very lonely thing and nobody understands how you feel. But when you are really open and honest about it you find that there are other people who get exactly what you go through.

I’m hoping to get myself back on the right track quickly. I have another 5K coming up in less than 2 weeks and I don’t want to be unprepared for it.

But if nothing else, at least I recognized that I was slipping before I got back to the start line.

1 Comment

Posted in Fitness, Food, Health, Tough Stuff, Weight Loss

Tagged binge eating, eating disorder, struggle, weight gain, weight loss

Thank You (or You All Made Me Feel Less Alone)

Posted on May 26, 2014 | Comments Off

I wanted to do an update post on something I wrote about last week: being fat-shamed while bra shopping. I honestly wrote that post as a rant and didn’t feel like many people would be able to relate to it.

The response I got was so unexpected and it made me feel so good. First of all, thank you to everyone who commented (here, Facebook, and on twitter). I also got emails and text messages from people about the post. Most of the reactions to the post were shock. People couldn’t believe that I was treated like that.

I heard from people who I haven’t heard from in a decade telling me their bra shopping horror stories. I heard from people who I’ve never met before telling me the same thing.

It seems like feeling shame and frustration while bra shopping is an almost universal feeling. And I know this may seem stupid, but while writing that post I really wondered if anyone would understand my frustration. Most of the people I know can walk into any store and find something that fits them. For me, I sometimes have to drive miles to find a store with my size. And even then, many times my size is sold out (because they only have one or two items in my size). But it turns out that even my “straight-size” friends understood. I wasn’t expecting that.

Besides people telling me their stories, I also got some advice on other places to look for a sports bra in my size. Sadly, many of the places recommended to me won’t work out. Most don’t have my band size. And the few places that have my band size don’t have a cup size small enough for me.

But I think I might have found something that could work. I got a recommendation for this bra from RoadRunner Sports. They do have my size, but only carry it in black or white (why can’t I get a cute color?!?). I ordered a couple of different sizes in black and I’m waiting for them to arrive so I can try them on. Hopefully one will work and then I can return the others (sports bras aren’t cheap!).

Again, thank you to everyone who read, responded, or shared that post. You helped me feel less alone and less self-conscious about wanting to find workout clothes that make working out easier and more comfortable for me. You helped to make me realize that I am worthy of finding something that is right for me and that I shouldn’t let mean salespeople get me down.

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Posted in Fitness, Shopping, Tough Stuff

Tagged bra, fat-shaming, online shopping, sports bra, thank you

A Personal Boycott (or Getting Fat Shamed While At A Bra Fitting)

Posted on May 22, 2014 | 8 comments

I had a really horrible encounter at a store yesterday and I really wanted to share it with you all. I know this will sound like a rant, but this is the perfect place for me to rant.

I’ve been wanting to get a new sports bra for a while. I had one that I loved that fell apart in the wash a while ago. Since then, I’ve gotten a few others, but they fit into one of two categories. Either they have very little support and create a uniboob or they are crazy compression garments and take like 20 minutes to put on. The compression one is great for spin class, but I want something simple, basic, and flattering for hiking and other low impact activities.

I had gotten the one that I previously loved at a specialty lingerie store in the valley, so I decided to make the drive over there again and see what I could get this time.

The store is called Sara’s Lingerie and it is supposed to be great for any type of specialty bras (nursing, prosthetic, plus size, custom). I remembered that the prices for many of the bras were really expensive (like $250 for a bra), but the sports one I got last time was $40. And that’s pretty much what I wanted to find again. I lucked out with finding a meter right in front, so I figured that would be a good sign of things to come.

I was totally wrong.

When I walked in, there were 3 sales ladies at the register (one of whom I believe is the owner, Sara). They asked me what I was looking for and I told them that I wanted a simple sports bra and how I had been there a few years ago and they found me the perfect one. They actually keep records on what all their past customers have purchased, so they looked me up and saw what I had gotten before. They said that they didn’t carry that one, but they would try to find me something similar.

I was then led into one of the fitting rooms where I had a proper bra fitting. If you’ve never had a proper bra fitting before, it’s done topless. You can’t find out what size you are if you have a top or bra on. I’ve been through a fitting at the store before, so having to be topless didn’t surprise me.

The saleswoman then left the dressing room to find some bras for me. While she was out there, I heard her and the other two sales ladies talking in another language. They would occasionally glance over back at me or gesture to me while they were talking. It made me feel pretty self-conscious. Whether or not they were talking about me, I automatically felt like they were saying some not-so-nice things about me (if they weren’t talking badly about me, why couldn’t they speak in English?).

The saleswoman came back with a selection of bras, and as soon as I saw them, I figured she didn’t realize I needed a sports bra. She brought me several lacy bras with no real support. I said to her that I only needed a sports bra, and she kept insisting that these bras were sports bras (since when did sports bras have lace and the option to be strapless?). I tried them on to prove to her that they weren’t right. But she kept insisting that each of the bras that she brought me (even the no underwire lace ones) were designed for sports. I jumped up and down a few times in the dressing room to show that they had no support, and she said she’d bring me a few more to try on.

She then brought me a few other bras that are made for women who have had a mastectomy and need to fit a prosthetic breast inside of their bra (my mom has one of these types of bras). Again, I said that I wanted a sports bra not a bra that fit a prosthetic breast. The saleswoman told me again that they could be used for sports activities. I refused to try those bras on.

She finally brought me one sports bra into the fitting room, but it was 2 sizes too small. When I asked her if she could bring me that bra in the proper size, she told me she didn’t carry it in the store. It would be special ordered because she doesn’t have people my size coming into her store asking for sports bras. And if someone my size does ask for a sports bra, they never buy them.

I was shocked that she said that to me. I’m sure I took it more sensitively than most people would, but I pretty much felt fat-shamed in that fitting room (I was topless when she said it too and that didn’t help my self-esteem). Why did she waste my time with all these other bras if she knew that she wouldn’t have anything for me?

The one bra that she could special order for me would have to come from Germany and would cost over $100, so I wasn’t interested. I asked her if there was anything else she could show me, and she said that they don’t carry plus size sports bras because there is no want for them.

I left the store pretty pissed off (if you follow me on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram you saw my mini-rant about this). I know that it is tough to go shopping at my size, but when people make it more difficult or make me feel guilty for wanting to buy something it just makes it worse. I’m sure when some people see me walking down the street they think to themselves that I should just go and workout.

Well, I want to, but clearly the clothing industry doesn’t want to make things easy for me.

After posting my mini-rant on social media, I got a few suggestions of places that also carry specialty bras (since that’s what plus size sports bras are). I tried sporting goods stores, but they don’t have my size. Some other friends suggested Lululemon, but I think we all know how they feel about plus sizes.

In the meantime, I do have one sports bra that I can wear and hopefully one of the locations that my friends have suggested will carry another one that I can purchase. But I can say one thing for sure. I will never shop at Sara’s Lingerie again. There is not need for stores to be fat-shaming their customers.

And doing it while the customer is topless is just cruel.

8 Comments

Posted in Fitness, Shopping, Tough Stuff

Tagged bra, fat-shaming, shopping, sports bra

Getting Fly (or Spinning With Bloggers)

Posted on May 13, 2014 | 1 comment

As part of being more in the blogging community, I’m trying to get more involved with blogger events. Fortunately, one of the Facebook groups I joined is just for blogger events in Southern California.

One of the first events I saw posted was for a spin class with Biggest Loser trainer Brett Hoebel. Even though I have issues with the show “The Biggest Loser“, I’m still a fan and totally wanted to work out with one of the trainers from the show (he was on season 11).

I signed up for the class and did some more research into it.

The class was held at Flywheel, which is a SoulCycle competitor. Flywheel was created by someone who used to work for SoulCycle, so there is a bit of a rivalry there. When I did some google research, there were some pretty nasty posts saying how much SoulCycle stunk and how amazing Flywheel is. That made me a little weary about going to a new studio, but I was totally willing to give it a try.

According to the Flywheel website, all classes include free shoes, towel, and water. So I didn’t bring anything with me (it felt pretty weird!). The class was held in Larchmont, which was a bit of a drive for me.

Once I walked inside, the first thing I noticed was how nice and open the lobby was.

I signed my release form and got my Flywheel shoes.

It did feel weird using spin shoes other than my own. I like my shoes and the clip on the shoes is in a different place (my legs felt weird while spinning because the clip was on the ball of my foot instead of the toe like on my shoes).

I asked at the front desk for the free water, but they explained to me that the free water was in the form of a drinking fountain. The bottles of water were $2. I explained to the person at the desk how on the website they promote the fact that they have free water for every class (and say how bad it is that SoulCycle charges $2 for a bottle if you need one), so she gave me a free bottle of water. I think that that was kind of misleading advertising, but it was my fault for not thinking to bring my own water.

Before the class started, Brett came out to greet us all. It was very cool to meet him, and of course I had to get a picture with him.

We also took a big group picture with all the bloggers and Brett.

Brett explained how the class would work and we headed inside.

The setup inside the studio is different from SoulCycle. The bikes are done stadium seating. Everyone is supposed to have a great view of the instructor. I had a great view of Brett’s upper body, but his legs were blocked by the laptop doing the soundtrack (I used the mirror to see how fast his legs were going so I could try to keep up).

Another thing that was different was in SoulCycle, we focus on riding as a pack and staying on the beat of the music. Flywheel is very competitive. Every bike has a computer on it and it takes your RPM and the torque being used and gives you a score. And every so often, the top ten scores for the class are shown on a flatscreen tv.

I tried really hard to keep up, but between the clips on the shoes being in a different spot and the fact that this was my first spin class where I didn’t get a cushioned bike seat, I was hurting. I did my best, but I never came close to ranking in the top ten on the tv.

I also kept almost laughing at how similar things were to SoulCycle. There were a lot of the same moves (but they had different names). And the stretching segment was done in the exact same order as my SoulCycle class. But I guess that’s what you get when the creator of this studio used to work for the other.

Overall, I’d say this class was a bit harder than SoulCycle. It was a much faster class and there is very little focus on upper body work. Also, it felt more like a competition than a dance party.

I had a great time in the class, but it did reinforce that SoulCycle is the place for me. There’s nothing wrong with Flywheel. I’d totally recommend it, especially to my very competitive friends. But it’s just not for me.

After class was done, we were all given a gift bag full of awesome goodies by Kind Snacks, Vega, and Quest.

I actually ate my Quest bar on the drive home and it was amazing! I usually don’t like protein bars, but this was really yummy! I’m looking into ordering some to keep on hand.

I’m so glad that I joined in for this event. I got to try another amazing spin class, meet an awesome trainer, and connected with a ton of new bloggers!

1 Comment

Posted in Fitness, Food, Fun Stuff, Health

Tagged blogging, shoes, SoulCycle, spin class, The Biggest Loser

Marching For Maddie (or Being A Supporter And Not A Walker)

Posted on April 29, 2014 | Comments Off

Saturday was the March of Dimes walk. I’ve done this walk a couple of times in the past, and I always do it in memory of my friend Heather‘s daughter Maddie who passed away several years ago. I never knew Maddie, but through Heather’s blog and all the stories she has told about her, I feel like I did know her.

I had every plan to do the 5K walk on Saturday, but then a couple of things didn’t go my way. First, I had the horrible experience with the Hollywood Half 5K and my major hip pain (and almost inability to walk for a few days after). Then, it rained the night before and my hip pain came back with a vengeance right before the 5K.

It was pretty much a sign that I was not supposed to walk at this event.

But just because I couldn’t walk it didn’t mean I couldn’t support it. So on Saturday morning, I got on the light rail and took it to Exposition Park where the walk was happening. I wanted to at least get to see my friend Heather and let her know that I was supporting her (plus I wanted to see her super cute kids!).

I got there pretty earlier so I got to chat with a few other people on the March for Maddie team before Heather and her family arrived. I hadn’t seen Heather since the documentary premiere (she was one of our twitter stories) and it was great to see her again.

I also got a quick picture with Heather’s husband Mike (who is a writer for BuzzFeed).

There was a lot of time to hang out before the walk started, but once everyone was heading out on the course, I turned around and headed back to the light rail. I just didn’t want to risk being in so much pain (also, Sunday and Monday were Disneyland days and I needed to be as pain-free as possible for that!).

But Heather did tell me where they were all meeting up for food after the walk, so once I got back to my car I ran a few quick errands and then headed out to the restaurant to meet up with the group again.

It was a really fun brunch. I knew a bunch of people there from doing the walks in the past and I got to meet a few new people as well. And of course, I was excited to catch up with Heather and her family.

Hopefully this will be the only 5K I miss out on for a long time. While I’m a little disappointed in myself, I know that I did make the right (but tough) choice to skip out.

I think my next 5K is in about 6 weeks so I’m hoping that I can work on some of my hip pain issues before then.

Also, if you would like to also support Heather and family, they started a charity in Maddie’s memory. Friends Of Maddie supports families who have babies in the NICU and is a wonderful charity. Part of what they do is create support bags for families and they drop them off at various NICUs around the area so families have some of the things they need while they wait to be able to take their babies home from the hospital. I know that every dollar helps them out so much and they would appreciate gifts of any size.

Comments Off on Marching For Maddie (or Being A Supporter And Not A Walker)

Posted in Fitness, Fun Stuff, Tough Stuff

Tagged 5K, charity, March of Dimes

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