10,000 Steps.

Have you heard of this program? The one where you strive to take 10,000 steps each day to stay fit? Well, I purchased a pedometer this weekend and used it for the first time TODAY! It sure made my day more fun and INTERESTING :)

I remember checking the pedometer at around 11 a.m. to see that it only read about 2000 steps. "Jeez," I thought to myself, "I HAVE BEEN AWAKE FOR 6 hours and that is ALL?!" I had a mini panic attack about the idea of failing to reach my daily goal and decided to go for a quick walk around campus. This seemed to up the tally to an un-panic-attack point, as did teaching four busy classes in the afternoon. By the end of the day, I had a tally of 6000 and asked Phil if we could walk home to help me out. He seemed to like the idea of a walk and so I racked up another 2000 steps by opting out of the bus. The final 2000 steps were accumulated during walking club this evening, and I am happy to announce that my total as of 6:20 p.m. was 12,100 steps!!!

I hope I can keep this up all week long! It sure did add an element of FUN to my day (a.k.a - I wasn't hiding in my classroom doing work all day long)!

"Pain is TEMPORARY, Pride is FOREVER!"

This morning I had the house to myself and decided to try Jillian Michael's "Ripped in 30" DVD for the first time. I purchased it this summer - inspired by our current "Biggest Loser" addiction - and have yet to find the space or privacy to actually put it to good use (workout tapes aren't something I can do in public)! Well, thanks to a nearby golf course and a new teacher orientation, the house was MINE ALL MINE and I jumped at the chance to sweat it out with Jill.

HAHA.

I am so glad that no one was home to watch me! The workout was supposed to last for 30 minutes.............which is NOTHING, right?! WRONG. At 14 minutes, I pressed stop and fell on the floor laughing. On the WEEK ONE, BEGINNER workout I felt good for about 4 minutes and lasted for a mere 14. She's tough, I tell ya. So tough that I said farewell to HER and hello to MY TREADMILL :) Ah - that is something that I can do for MORE THAN 30 minutes!!!

All jokes aside, the workout was actually a creative one and I imagine this new found love for "body torture" will motivate me to press "play" again soon.....

For Our Running Friends:

We saw this on the globe and mail website this afternoon! [Click on the image to enlarge]. Anything but the medical tent will be A-OKAY with us!!!

Pilates 101.

Check us out! This morning we turned our living room into a pilates studio for a "beginner" session with Megan. I think she had her hands full between the three of us - there was a lot of yawning, sighing, laughing, and competing going on. Oh - and then there was Dad who liked to add the odd joke in every time he walked by! I have a feeling he won't be signing up for a pilates class anytime soon. Luckily, the three of us enjoyed the experience (especially with the PERFECT instructor) and are likely to try it out again!

THANKS MEGAN!!!!!!!!!!

Sundays are FUN-DAYS :)

Because of all of the following...........

1. A morning walk/shower. Isn't it fun getting caught in the rain?!


2. Chai tea lattes at the Kawartha Coffee Company in Bobcaygeon. This place is one of my favourites and I was so excited to share it with my similarly-tea-crazy cousin, Megan! The decor is so MAGICAL :)


3. An afternoon viewing of "Crazy Stupid Love" with Megan, Graeme, and Phil. Although I'm certain The Smurfs would have been the more excellent option, I still managed to enjoy this one :)

Creative Friday's.

At our gym, workout classes are available and on-going from Saturday to Thursday each week. I don't usually take advantage of the various classes offered, but I do make sure to get my fair share of "studio time" on Friday afternoons! On Friday's, the gym is only open from 4 p.m. - 10 p.m. and during these hours the two studios are EMPTY! Not a single class is happening and I have never witnessed another member use the studio unless an instructor is present. For this reason, I call my Friday gym session my "Creative Friday"!!!!

Every Friday, I do a little bit of warming up and then proceed to the studio to make-up my own workout (<----- like doing "arts & crafts" with movement). Sometimes I skip, sometimes I use the step, sometimes I bring out the bouncy balls..........I do whatever I am in the mood for and I LOVE IT. Yesterday I was inspired by an episode of The Biggest Loser and decided to try out some "Jillian" moves to get the sweat dripping. Well, not only did they do THAT - I feel like I have lost all mobility in my legs today. JILLIAN ROCKS! (And so do Creative Friday's!)

Lucky for me, I am off to the spa with Pat this morning! The massage that comes with the spa pedi should do the trick :)