sarren: (shock blanket)
I am sitting in [profile] zebra363's lounge room wrapped in eleventybillion rugs and watching the alpacas grazing peacefully outside. Yes, I am aware it's not *quite* Arctic conditions up here, but it's a psychological thingumummy. Last night I slept with every blanket ever, two jumpers, scarf, socks and gloves. I was comfortable.

Yesterday arvo we spent three hours (until it was too dark to see anything except the giant bonfire) dragging dead branches over to the fence, throwing them over, under or through the fence and then dragging them over to the fire. Then we sat around and stared the fire for a long time.

Then we walked up to the house in pitch dark (I felt very hardcore), had dinner and watched an episode of Lewis (ie slept through).

Things to know about working with Zebra...

- When she says 'that's just about it' - it's not true.

- An hour later when she says 'that's about it, now' - it's not true.

- Some indeterminate time later, when she's an indistinct shadow among the trees emerging periodically to throw piles of sticks and the occasional log over the fence at you, and she says, 'just two more' - it's not true.


Still, nice workout and feeling of accomplishment. Have a feeling will be recreating it next week as it'll be the last weekend for burning off before the ban.
sarren: (Default)
We've just been horseriding. It's Hill Country around these here parts - it just needed snow and I'd have felt like I was in The Man from Snowy River.

I was absolutely determined I was going to remain with the beginner's group with my friend when they split us up half way through, even though riding single file meant we couldn't even chat,

Beginners' group guide - Okay beginners, we're going to be teaching you to trot-
Me - Oh, hell,no!

Medium group guide - So we'll just be trotting mostly-
Me - Bye!

Experienced group guide - Let's just canter all the time, yays!!!
Me *very quickly regrets choice of bra*

I think the guide was a bit disconcerted - every time he turned around to check on us I had my hand down the neck of my shirt pulling up my freakin bra straps. Note to self: Take sports bra with you at all times.

*sigh* I will no doubt be turning up to my new job on Monday still half crippled from the unaccustomed violent exercise.

Oh and my friend tooks no doubt amusing photos of her hubby having to help me off with the long riding boots she leant me.. *headdesk*

AWESOME.
sarren: (Default)
Happy birthday [livejournal.com profile] mynxii! Big Kisses!!!


Also, I just did this stretch move and it was sort of like when body builders flex and WHO KNEW I HAD MUSCLES IN MY ARMS????

Not me.
sarren: (Default)
Under the misapprehension that Wednesday's exercising with [livejournal.com profile] cricketk would be, in fact, a gentle stroll, I took the dog for a walk in the morning.

Later

Me *staggering up the last steps of Jacob's Ladder* You said it gets easier every time!!!
Ck *casually stretching* It does get easier every time.
Me IT WASN'T EASIER.
Ck *sanguinely* Maybe it'll be easier next time.
Me *dies*

Then, THEN, I actually got an early night cos of being *dead*, and I dreamt that [livejournal.com profile] doctor_k_ and [livejournal.com profile] strangedave were insisting that I had to wake up an hour early because of the Burning Man get together.

And I woke up an hour early. At 6am. SIX A.M.
sarren: (Default)
Exercising with [livejournal.com profile] zebra363 and/or [livejournal.com profile] cricketk is going to be really good for me, I can already tell. They are both very fitness-orientated and determined people. These are good people to help one get fit. No wandering past random cafes and stopping for a granita with these two!

Today [livejournal.com profile] cricketk introduced me to Jacob's Ladder during our walk. I tried to google for a photo of all 242 stairs but the only decent photo I found was of some random stranger standing at the lookout at the top of the 242 stairs. Pretty view, isn't? You don't really get a good feel for how high it is though, at the top of 242 stairs.

By 3/4 the way up I had to let [livejournal.com profile] cricketk bound ahead while I sort of staggered the rest of the way. Some cute guy sprinted past, explaining kindly that 'it gets easier each time'! Good to know, I have a feeling I'm going to be seeing a lot more of those stairs.

Really enjoyed the walk though, and also feeling pretty good now. Ignore the whinging.
sarren: (Default)
Currently my background is murky brown. This is a depressing colour, seriously. I like my sidebar though.

In other news, my arms are still fairly sore. I'm feeling a little embarrassed about this.

I need to get like, any exercise if I plan to go hiking in Oregon next year. *sigh*

poles

Oct. 4th, 2005 01:18 am
sarren: (Default)
So am I the only one who spent today going 'Ow ow ow'?

Fine.
,,
Poledancing apparently uses all the muscles in your arms and ARMPITS. At least, all the muscles I need to do my job. Unless I'm a freak and other people don't have muscley armpits. *frowns* That makes no sense.

I did slidey/swing around my pole a lot. Also, quite enthusiastically. And they gave us a bit of time to play at the end, after the demo by the expert, which included a lot of upside down manouevers.

Me *rubs sweat off pole*
[livejournal.com profile] cricketk - Upside down!
Me *slideyswing*
K - I want to go upside down.
Me *puts hands lower and kicks out gently, experimentally*
K *fondling own pole* I want to go UPSIDE DOWN!
Me *hands much lower* *attempts to kick up higher*
K *slideyswing* *pout*
Me *speculatively* If I had enough muscles in my arms to hold your weight while you swung up...

...and then it was time to go.

Probably just as well that they never left us unsupervised.
sarren: (Default)
So. I'm home from work, I've had a cold shower and am propped up in front of the 'puter, fan on full and dressed rather scantily, sipping on an ice cold gin and bitter lemon.

Am I going to give all that up and brave the heat to go my Bodyjam class?

*pout*

Sep. 15th, 2004 11:16 pm
sarren: (Default)
*sulking*

I have recs, but I'm not doing them til LJ lets me code again.

Also, I have to do the 'Beyonce bounce' at Bodyjam and you couldn't pay me enough to demonstrate it.
sarren: (Default)
We learnt a flamenco number at Bodyjam this week, and I'm loving it. I might actually get off my arse and look into actual dance classes.

So my Bodyjam instructor - 'Anyone watching that reality show in the outback where half the guys are gay and half the guys are straight?'

Me - "Huh?'

*Assenting noises from other women in the class"

Instructor - 'I can tell you for sure that Chad is straight!'

Voice (knowingly) from the back - 'I know Chad'

Instructor - 'You can tell me how YOU know that Chad is straight later!!!'

Me - *finding the duct tape on the floor marking where the holes are more interesting*
sarren: (Default)
mmmm...

and then when he matrixed his clothes on...

mmmm...


So, my movement. Slightly impaired today on account of bad judgement yesterday. When I unexpectedly got to the gym 40 minutes before my Bodyjam class and thought that I may as well do some weight training.

pauses

See, what I didn't know, or rather, did know but had not taken into account, was that the routines changed last week (when I wasn't there) This happens every 4 weeks, and what I didn't know was that we have a different probably not deliberately sadistic instructor and instead of fun bouncy dance routines interspersed with slow cool-down hip hop numbers, we had intense hip hop workout routines, interspersed with the cool-down hip hop numbers. That's a lot too much hip hop for my tastes. Also felt a lot too much like actual intense exercise.

Bah humbug.

Then, and this I didn't know, they'd changed the Body Balance class completely to a whole new stretchy balancy routine. Wont miss the badly-disguised-pushups. However, was left feeling like I need to be in a remedial balancing class.

Interesting development re Body Balance - am left with whole new appreciation for the female form...Have no idea what thats about.
sarren: (Default)
I've had an extra cool week, even though I didn't get to the Fellowship Commentry due to extreme exhaustion from gardening all that afternoon. And while it's true I loathe and detest gardening in all it's forms, there is this glow of satisfaction from a job well done to offset the sore fingertips and strange insect bite Very Nearly in a Scary Area. Really counting my blessings here. Should be noted: glow of satisfaction only achieveable when 1. Results are blindingly obvious and 2. Other people there sharing the work, even if you do only talk at each other about hp fics (thanks silver_b_a)

Speaking of silver_b_a, I was under the impression that she comes over and helps us do worky things from the goodness of her heart. Discovered the other day that when she buys her own house and has a garden to maintain, she'll be looking to us to return the favour. Poor misguided fool. (Did I say that out loud?)

Obviously my extra cool week was not all about the gardening. On the Tuesday I finally got to Bodyjam again.

side note sarren's "week" begins on a Tuesday, as her stupd work week goes from Tues to Mon, hence always working the Monday nights - end of week paperwork.

EXCEPT TODAY happy dance

I should be at work - but I'm not!!!!

David Bowie bounce )


Also good this week, getting hold of some 3rd season eps of Enterprise. Can't wait to show them to mr_booboo. Luckily I won't have to wait long, as she's planning on coming over to my house before the concert so she can watch some! In the teeth of Trille's laughter and derision.

Showed some to silver_b_a as a reward for the garden effort, and to make up for traumatising her son, HA HA yet another person addicted!!! Previously 'mildly interested' the dark tone of 3rd season is really hitting somebody's buttons…

Me, I mean me!!!

Angriest Video Store Clerk Adventure )


Finally getting back on topic, got to my Bodyjam class for the first time in a month, only to discover they'd changed all the dance moves. Stumbled through first two routines, feeling lost and alone…

And then the jive number came on Knew I liked jive a lot. Now I'm in love. Should have seen me, I was just like Billy Elliot when he danced on the rooftop.

New mission, to find place to jive.
sarren: (Default)
Feeling virtuous today, got my weight-training program sorted today *and* made it to 2 classes - my dance class that I've now stumbled my through 3 of, and which I love. We do hip-hop, latin, and other stuff that I can't remember names of offhand. Then the bodybalance class, a combination of taichi, yoga, and pilates. Very stretchy.

So my New Year has been chock full of resolutions.

I usually don't bother but this year I actually have Goals. Mostly involving the healthy eating and the exercise. Sometimes involving the dog. The exercise part, that is. I don't think these will be too hard to stick to. Motivated Girl, that's me.

The hardie, the challenge for me, is Finding Another Job. It's not that I'm unhappy where I am, in fact it's all rather cruisy; which really I know I should be grateful for, so many of my acquaintance seem to have the Boss From Hell. But shift work sucks, and I'm not challenged anymore. I could do this job in my sleep. And often do.

It's just, I don't know what I want to do. Or rather, I do, but I don't know how viable sitting on my arse all day playing on my computer, hanging out with mates, and spending much time playing with Bunny is, in terms of a future career.

*sigh*
sarren: (Default)
In a perfect world Speranza would have minions to attend to all the dreary day to day stuff we do to sustain our qualitiy of life. I imagine her (sort of a Kosh without the encounter suit being) reclining at her leisure, worshippers gathered at her feet, one communing ecstatically with a laptop as pearls beyond price drop from the divine being's lips.. Others feeding her chocolate/pizza/coffee, yet others wave the palm fronds..

Hey, I just read a new Speranza story!


My fave item of clothing at the moment is my tracky pants. Imagine grey tracky pants in your mind's eye. (Not with me in them - your mind may melt) Now picture them Hipsters. Figure hugging. 3/4 length. Flared at the calf. And, with 'Miss Perfect' inscribed in white across the bum. And a cute little puddy cat on the front left thigh.

This is a Fashion Item. It was never meant to be owned by someone so backward, so old and set in their ways that they can't cope with the concept of wearing trackies In Public. (note. In Public does not include trips to the local shops or mates' places of residence.)

Yet wearing them to the gym seems like sacrilige. Actual vigorous movement of the limbs they encase. Probable sweatiness. They might be Marred. I Dare Not.

Segueing nicely into Fashion Do's and Don't at the Health Club..

I just joined one. Fit of insanity, what can I say. I mean, *before* Christmas???

So. Having joined up last Friday, I've swum lots and used the spa lots. That was also last Friday. On Tuesday, spur of the moment, I got someone else to take over my shift and raced home to leap into exercise clothes and race off to this great sounding dance/exercise class. It was very very cool, btw, so of course it's only scheduled when I'm working. Grr.

So, the exercise attire *shakes head sadly* Fairly decent sports crop top, bought last year (not for exercise, I just like them better than bras) But what to wear with? Regular trackies? Too hot, I think. (and not my puddy cat ones, oh no) Bike shorts, I reject with loathing. Even I know that they can't still be trendy. And without the mantle of fashion there is really no excuse for their existence on this Earth. So, daggy old shorts.

I knew it was a mistake the moment i walked into the hallowed halls..er..room. Apparently, the only acceptable exercise clothing for 2003 is figurehugging black pants with a white stripe down the sides of the legs (or even 2 or 3 if you want to be an individual) and a black singlet, also with the white stripe. OR, a tiny tiny t-shirt with writing on the chest.

I soldiered on, my head held high. Had a fun time tripping over my feet in time to music.

My feet. My poor, poor feet in old dead sneakers. Necessitated trip the next day to one of those high tech performance shoe stores. The staff there are Master Technicians. I know that because their gold badges say so. So, $150 and a free pair of Nike pink sports socks later (because I also bought a gift voucher) and I have the Right Shoes for Me. That will give my muscle knots in the balls of my feet cushioning, and support my falling arches (nothing to worry about, happens to most women apparently).

So, fun dance class. Made a new friend. As people who know me can attest, I talk to people at the drop of a hat. There doesn't even have to be a hat. Just for the person not to be actively scowling at me. So I positioned myself near the only other person in the room who wasn't 18 years old/size 8/wearing the black ensemble (with stripe!)
Initiated casual conversation (during water breaks obviously: attempting conversation while attempting to learn dance moves and keep up with beat would have been suicidal)

Stayed for the next class on her reccie. Very nice. Sort of tai chi combined with Pilates.

Pilates - what the? I hear you say. It's Stretching. *nodding knowledgably* Er.. sort of new agey?

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sarren

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