By Di Hickman, on May 25th, 2013 
I’ve been teaching spin a while and whilst currently I don’t have a regular spin class I find that subbing at a few different gyms and seeing different client I’m a bit more laid back now with classes and the silly stuff people do but I have a list of pet peeves for spin class that I thought I would share with you today. So in particular order my top 10 peeves for spin class:
- People who are SO BUSY they cannot do without their phones for one hour. Now I get it, there is the occasion when you NEED your phone because your best friends Mom just passed away and you want to be there for her. But EVERY WEEK? No! Put the damn phone away! As an instructor it’s infuriating seeing someone working out and constantly on their phone texting (or worse – calling!!). And if the room is dimmed it’s even more noticeable!!! I’ve seen a rise in phone use during YOGA too, so it’s not just cycle people. Unless you are waiting on a phone call from the queen – leave the phone alone!
- Arrive early. On the rare occasion everyone has an off day when they are late. Don’t cause a fuss, just set your bike up and go. Now if you are 15 minutes late and the class is full, TOUGH! This also goes for people that “save” bikes for their friend.
- Leave the cologne at home. Whether male or female you shouldn’t drown yourself in fragrance before heading into a small room packed with 30+ people that are all going to sweat bullets.
- If you are planning on doing your own workout with your own music, choose a bike out the way at the back in the corner where you won’t distract other class members. I have no idea WHY people do this but whatever!!!
- There is a tension button/lever on the bike. Please familiarize yourself with it and USE IT! Climbs are meant to replicate hills. A hill climb is not your legs going 600 rpm and thinking you are ‘feeling the burn’. No, no, no! Add some tension!!! Dig deep!!! Climb that sucker!!! If you think we don’t notice, we do! We can tell when you’re cheating on the tension… just sayin’! *disclaimer – if you are a beginner low tension is ok, but it should be a challenge!*
- If you have to leave early, pack your stuff up, wipe down the bike and give a high 5 to the instructor so she/he knows you are ok. Nothing worse than people just leaving and you don’t know if they are hurt or just have to leave early as they have a dentists appointment.
- Speaking of wiping down bikes, wipe down the bikes! Your sweaty crotch has been up close and personal with a saddle for an hour. Personally I’d clean it before you get on also because if some people in YOUR class aren’t wiping down bikes you can bet your ass they aren’t in other classes either!
- Follow the rules of the gym. If the gym requires you sign in and get a card for class, take the card. Don’t place it on the stereo or anywhere, hang onto it and let the instructor collect it. If that class is full and you don’t have your card guess who’s getting booted? Doesn’t matter if you are there every week, or friends with the instructor. TAKE A CARD!
- Stop the chatter! Sure have the occasional “wow this hill is tough”… “I’m wiped, Di is pushing us hard today!” one liners but no conversations with your neighbor! If you are chatting for more than 2-3 sentences then either one of your legs better be about to fall off or… YOU ARE NOT WORKING HARD ENOUGH!!!!
- Lastly… if the instructor asks a question please ANSWER THEM! It’s tough being up there on the lead bike, give us some feedback. Most of the time the room is dark and we can’t see you so we won’t know who yells out anyway
 Just remind us that someone is there and is listening!
What are you’re pet peeves for spin class?
By Di Hickman, on May 25th, 2013 
Well no doubt the title of this post will bring some interesting searches into the blog But really no other words to describe this weeks post! We’ve had girls for the last 11 years and having a boy is proving to be interesting in so many ways. Most noticeably it’s Pixels complete disregard for his appearance! Typical boy This Tuesday we will have had him three months and I swear he’s had more baths than Sky has had in the last twelve months! He’s constantly getting dirty, wet, muddy or just getting his face/body in stuff that requires grooming.
The big factor for this is the change in weather and us buying him a bigger wading pool. We got the large kids pool from Walmart, cost us around $15 and he loves it! After the hot afternoon walks or just an afternoon lounging in the sun!
This one is more his size! He can lounge around in this and get ALL of him wet unlike the smaller green pool we had for Sky and River. But he does like the water for sure! When he gets out he’s sure to cover EVERYTHING in water as he shakes…
The problem comes AFTER he gets out. I try to dry him off before he runs into the house and wets EVERYTHING through but sometimes he likes to have a nice wiggle on the grass covering himself in grass marks and dirt. Or he’ll go further than that and actually decide to go digging, which is NOT a good idea when you are supposed to be black and WHITE…
It’s a good job he’s cute
 I love drying him off after his pool dip though! It’s bonding time right? lol! Plus I’m weird I love the smell of wet dog!
River Remembered
River never liked water and whilst Pixel will go into the pool he doesn’t like the hose pipe or sprinklers, something he and River have in common for sure! The first few times we let the dogs out in the back garden they were fine then River got the idea to walk on the pool cover and basically nearly drown  She’s just never been a water fan since, can’t imagine why! Let’s just say the dogs are NOT allowed out the back yard without any of us being home, I just don’t trust them since that day. River never really trusted the hose pipe and would run for cover once it was on, below is a rare pic in 2003 of her and water…
Sky on the other hand LOVED water! Loves the paddling pool and hose pipe! She looks such a puppy in this photo!!! I remember it so well 
Other than some grey in her face she doesn’t look much different either!
Do your dogs like the water?
By Di Hickman, on May 24th, 2013 
Memorial day will soon be upon us (that’s May 27th for non USA people!) and that means BBQ day here in the US! It’s basically heralding the start of Summer which means cooking outside becomes the way to eat for June, July, August and September. BBQ season here runs straight through from Memorial day to labor day, though we kicked things off early this year and had our first BBQ on the 5th The whole month of May is national BBQ month so it seems only right that I give you some BBQ tips!
5 tips for a healthy bbq:
- First let’s address the portions! A portion of meat is ONE hamburger patty! Not two, not three, and not a hamburger PLUS a sausage, PLUS ribs, Plus, plus, plus… Just because you cook it doesn’t mean you have to eat it all! One burger per person is plenty!!! Anymore is just being greedy… just sayin’!
- On that note how about some damn vegetables on that BBQ! Of course the old staple is corn on the cob. I love BBQ corn on the cob (the dogs do too!) but try some other veggies! Bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini and asparagus are all great on the BBQ! Kebab skewers are good for holding onto mushrooms, peppers and onions, just like the photo above which was from our bbq
- Don’t forget the buns! Did you know the average burger bun is 250-300 calories? Skip the bun and go for a sandwich thin instead or a bagel thin. These are 100 calories and you save at least 150 calories per serving!!! Bob has the sandwich thins instead of a bun. He saves those buns for when we go to restaurants and fancies a burger.
- Skip the bun altogether and go “protein style” with iceberg lettuce wrapped burgers! I skip the bun for our BBQ and just opt for a salad with the burger on top a garnish. Which is what protein should be – garnish!
- Go easy on the dressings and marinades! Those are calories (sugar and fat too!) that you don’t see. BBQ sauce has tons of sugar and high fructose corn syrup so look for more natural and “Clean” versions. Same with ketchup! Oh and the cheese slices!
Think about it the average burger contains:
- burger patty 150 calories
- bun 250 calories
- cheese slice 50 calories
- 1 TBSPN Ranch dressing 75 calories
- 1 TBSPN ketchup 15 calories
That’s your BASIC burger right? That’s 540 calories straight out the gate for a basic burger, not including BBQ sauce, bacon or anything “fancy” on it…. crikey those calories add up! Not to mention FAT! Plus I’m being conservative with the calories. A typical holiday I’ve seen guys eat this plus a hotdog plus beer and well… it all goes downhill from there
5 Tips for a vegetarian BBQ
- Firstly don’t be offended if you invite a vegetarian/vegan to a BBQ and they don’t eat anything. Many of us don’t like our food cooked on the same grill as meat. Those meat juices go straight from your burger/ribs straight onto our veggie burgers. So… it’s not just a matter of NO MEAT it’s a matter of how/where you cook it too. As a vegetarian I personally will not eat food cooked on anyones BBQ… unless they are Vegan and it’s a vegan BBQ (hey Greg and Matt!!!). Usually I eat beforehand or I’ll just eat the salad/fresh veggies. I don’t expect you to buy anything “just for you awkward vegetarians” so please don’t make a big deal out of it!
- If you are a meat eater and I invite you to a BBQ don’t expect meat…we’re vegetarian… just sayin’! Ain’t no meat on our grill
 Again I don’t expect you to cater to me, so I don’t expect to cater to you. Eat your meat before you come or I dunno… try going meatless for a meal! It won’t kill you I promise! For the Veggie BBQ hosts: don’t be offended if those meat eaters don’t eat your veggie burgers! Some people just aren’t ready to try meat free yet.
- There are TONS of vegetarian and vegan burgers, some are mock meats and some are good old VEGGIE patties. Go for variety. I love garden burger patties made from rice and veggies but sometimes I like a Boca mock meat patty. We can switch it up! There are also mock meats in chunks for kebabs (see above pic) and during the BBQ season I’ll be reviewing any we try. I’m a huge fan on Quorn products and have been for years, really happy it’s available in the USA now Again though PORTION control! Bob loves a good burger, and sausage and well pretty much everything. Before you know it with everything he’s consumed 1/2 his daily calories in one meal!
- Make your own. There are tons of recipes for veggie burgers, so why not go homemade? Like I said I like the veggie burgers and I have recipes to try that include rice and/or quinoa with the chopped veggies.
- If you can cook it try it on the BBQ. BBQ pizza? Yes you can! It’s crispy but it’s possible! Felafel, potatoes, corn, pretty much all vegetables, some fruits too! Experiment. Us vegetarians aren’t averse to trying new things as long as nothing dies in the process.
I’ll be sharing more BBQ tips as the season progresses along with recipes and reviews ….
Are you ready for BBQ season?
By Di Hickman, on May 24th, 2013 
So after losing last weeks grocery receipts in my tidy up I kept a close eye on my receipt this week and as soon as I got home I put it on the fridge for safe keeping Still no sign of last weeks receipts so I guess I was overzealous in my cleaning and threw them out by mistake! Ah well, lesson learned! This week I took one trip to the grocery store as we had a little mishap Friday night when the freezer suddenly decided to defrost as the fan sensor froze up! Bob thawed the sensor out and reset everything and it seems to be working again but I am a little wary of buying too much frozen food right now as the freezer is 12 years old and has had some issues lately. Maybe in a week or so the trust will build up again, but for now I’m playing it safe week to week.
Tuesday 21st May – Trader Joes = $47.59
- Rice cakes $2.49
- Spinach $1.99
- Apples $3.95
- Tomatoes $2.29
- sweet potato Tortilla chips $2.49
- bread $2.29
- Orange Juice $2.99
- hash browns $1.99
- Orange Juice $2.99
- quiche $2.29
- Eggs $2.99
- peanut butter $2.79
- peanut butter $2.79
- spring lettuce mix $1.99
- almond milk $1.99
- almond milk $1.99
- tofurkey sausage $2.99
- bananas $1.33
- olive oil wrap $2.99
Not a whole lot of groceries for the $$ but it was Tuesday and I figured “Di, don’t go overboard for the rest of the week!”. I knew in the back of my mind that Bob was out one lunch, I had a lunchdate with my BFF and so no point in getting a TON of food we weren’t going to eat. Plus like I said I wasn’t 100% secure in the knowledge that the fridge wasn’t going to die on us anytime soon! Touch wood, a week later it seems fine Thanks to my hubby being so handy So grand total of $47.59 for this week, which puts me at $260.45 for the month so far, with one week to go! Hopefully I manage to get in on budget this month!
May week 1 - $113.94
May week 2 – $5.92
May week 3 – $93.00 (estimated)
May week 4 - $47.59
May week 5 -
Monthly Totals
May – $260.45 (so far)
April – $12.56
 I already mentioned that the freezer had a hissy fit and thankfully Bob noticed quickly and we were on it quick otherwise had we not come morning we’d have had a wet mess and lots of spoiled food! As it was we only really lost a handful of banana’s I’d frozen for smoothies! Pretty good going really!!!
By Di Hickman, on May 23rd, 2013 
Today I thought “why not post a review?” so I am. I mentioned before that on a whim I went to Lassens and bought some vegan protein powders and I’ve been reviewing them as I try them. The most recent one I tried was this Plant Fusion Protein Powder Chocolate/Raspberry flavor. I picked this packet up and read the claims: No dairy, no soy, no animal products, hypoallergenic, gluten free, easily digestible and amazing taste. Now the first lot they can control, ‘amazing taste’ well I’ll decide on that one thanks!
I liked a few things about this protein powder mostly the fact that it’s a complete plant protein blend with proteins from pea, artichoke, amaranth and quinoa. The last time I tried a pea protein I was NOT impressed with the flavor so to say I was dubious about this one was an understatement.
As the product was chocolate raspberry flavored I still decided that I’d go with almond milk, banana and a few strawberries for my shake, why change what isn’t broken? Again like last time I used half the package for 10.5g protein per serving. First thing I noticed was that this smoothie was SMOOTH and very frothy. I made it in the same blender so nothing had changed other than the protein powder…
Taste wise it was smooth tasting although a little sweeter than I’d like. That’s when I read the package a little more carefully and noticed “fructose” on the ‘other ingredients’. It was obvious though, it was pretty sweet! Personally I like to add my own REAL fruit but their choc/rasp flavor was the only one I could find at Lassens and looking at their website even the unflavored version has fructose in it I’d like one without fructose please, or at least with about 1/2 the amount of fructose in… it was very sweet!
It tasted fine though, and I drank the whole thing. The day after I had the leftover powder in my post workout shake and this time I left out the strawberries but again still too sweet for my tastes. If you have a sweet tooth though this would be great. I don’t. I like desserts and chocolate as much as the next person but SWEET isn’t dessert, and for me this protein powder just didn’t cut it for flavor! My least favorite so far…
Have you tried Plant Fusion protein powders?
Have you tried vegan protein powder?
Do you like sweet shakes?
By Di Hickman, on May 22nd, 2013 People seem to assume that living a fit life is pretty glamourous and I will say that it definitely has it’s moments but it also has it’s downsides and I thought I’d share one of those today….
The photo says it all! One of the downsides of an active lifestyle is the never ending laundry… sometimes I just feel like I get ahead with it then BAM it’s all there again waiting to be washed, dried and put away. This weekend was tough as the drains decided to block/overflow and flood the garage This meant either calling a plumber or waiting for Bob to have a go at unblocking the pipes. Bob naturally decided to try it himself and it worked (so far!) but it meant waiting till Tuesday which meant no laundry or dishwashing till last night!!! So now I’m even further behind on laundry…
One thing I’ve learned from my years in fitness is: have LOTS of clothing to fall back on. If you think you have too much usually that means BUY MORE! I rarely throw anything out unless it’s totally useless for working out in anymore or I don’t like it, or it no longer fits. The big problem is that I can use up to 3-4 outfits a day! If I can schedule my day right then I can get away with 2 maybe 3, but usually two fitness outfits a day, plus regular clothes! Not to mention the socks… argh! The sock monster is rife at our house!
Laundry tips
- To make things easier for me when putting away the clothes I put the whole outfit on one hanger (including matching bra if I have one) and that saves me some time.
- Buying 3-4 packs of the same socks so that they ALL match, when one goes missing it’s not a big deal!
- Have way more sports bra’s than you think you’ll ever need. I wear sports bras 90% of the time so having more than I need is vital.
- Try to do one load a day or at least every other day!
- Invest in a “delicates” bag for laundry for your sports bra’s. These need extra TLC and keeping out the dryer. Putting them in a bag before laundry means they are easier to spot when you take them out.
Do you have any time saving laundry tips?
By Di Hickman, on May 20th, 2013 
So I’m browsing facebook Friday afternoon and I see a link for a press release regarding Tracy Anderson launching a meal plan service…. I can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it! For a while now this woman has grown and grown in the fitness industry with NO certifications or research behind anything she does, quite frankly how she’s become this “celebrity trainer” I’ll never know because 99% of the stuff she spouts comes straight out of her ass! Before we get to the food let’s address her fitness “method”.
Tracy Anderson has created a fitness method that can transform any problem area or body type. Tracy has created and patented over 3,000 fitness movements and her varying moves target every muscle in your body.
No, no, no! Firstly you cannot patent a fitness movement… you can patent a name but the human body cannot be patented! What? You think the guy that invented the jumping jack has a patent Tracy? Secondly no you cannot “transform a problem area” because any kinesiologist, physiologist and personal trainer with a decent certification will tell you that YOU CANNOT SPOT REDUCE!
The sequences strategically exhaust the muscles in a way that does not create bulk, and that strengthens the connection to the body. This program is designed for anyone to achieve a perfect body naturally
Oh look… marketing Bullshit! Basically she’s “toning” the body. Tell me Tracy what muscles can do? They can become stronger or weaker right? How do they become stronger? They GROW! Sorry but she is not the physique I aspire to. Did you know she once told women that they shouldn’t lift more than 3lb weights? I have a water bottle that weighs that! My workout bag regularly weighs about 10lb and the biggest factor: most womens BABIES weigh around 8lb as newborns so ladies stop lifting that heavy baby because you’ll get “bulky” …. *eyeroll* Plus GENETICS cannot be changed… sorry you cannot spot reduce and if you have a big ass (raises hand) then accept it, embrace it, and do squats and lunges to keep it perky
Other reviews I noted on her “system” were about Tracy Anderson recommending 3 hours of exercise… what the hell! Remember my motto: workout SMARTER not longer! Seriously the woman needs a slap, in the face, with a 3lb dumbbell! She claims that these smaller muscles she targets will restructure the body? Um, again no! You cannot change the structure of your body, genetics! Plus these muscles are called STABILIZERS! Get a certification or degree Tracy LEARN THE PURPOSE of these muscles and you’ll see that they have no bearing on the sj
Anyway… back to the original point of this post… she is now launching a menu delivery service. Firstly her “system” has already received serious backlash because of the slashed calories, which can be as low as 700 calories a day!!! Rebecca Wilcox a journalist for the daily mail tried the method and in her article wrote that:
Tracy is totally against other forms of cardio, such as running, where you repeat your movements over and over. That, she says, will bulk muscles.
On the downside I feel woozy and find it difficult to concentrate. At first I had loads of energy but now I’m always tired and am told I’m horribly grouchy to boot. My skin is terrible and my nails are flaking and weak. And - how can I put this - my system has become, shall we say, somewhat sluggish. Normally I’m as regular as clockwork. Not any more.
the diet part of the regime. On the first week of the plan I’m only allowed to eat seven different foods, mostly blended. These include the dreaded Power Juice made from kale, spinach, beetroot and apple. It is so disgusting I drink it over the sink in case my body rejects it (which happened on several occasions). Then there is the Sweet Potato Corn Pudding ( one cooked sweet potato, one raw corn on the cob - blended together till smooth); the carrot parsnip puree (carrots and parsnips - blended); the blueberry and apple sauce (blended until smooth); the gazpacho (also blended until smooth) and protein soup ( surprisingly not blended)
Tracy makes no mention of the amount of calories or fat you are supposed to consume a day so I take my plan to Catherine Collins, principal dietician at St George’s Hospital, London, to get it analysed. The results are shocking.She told me I had existed on less than 700 calories a day for the past two months - no wonder I felt terrible. Catherine was extremely concerned.
Rebecca was following the plan exercising 3 hours a day and eating only 700 calories??? Not surprisingly she states she almost blacked out on numerous occasions. CRAZY! Plus can we address the comment about running. Runners are bulky because it’s repetitive movement? Has she SEEN her own plan? High reps, low weight… which in her logic should make you bulky right? Oh not that’s right because they are HER patented moves you are ok…. hahahahahahaha! Ok enough sarcasm! But really running makes you bulky? Show me a bulky professional runner…. But most importantly – 700 calories is NO WAY NEAR ENOUGH for any adult!!! Sheesh I eat that before LUNCH!
And get this… the menu service is $55 a DAY! WTF? Seriously? PLUS SHIPPING! Yup that’s right this doesn’t even include shipping! Firstly I’ll comment upfront that I am against people using a menu service. Unless you seriously are the type of person that eat microwave meals EVERY NIGHT then learn how to eat and cook real food. However if you must use a meal service use one that has some credibility behind it from a registered dietician or someone who knows something about fitness! When Tony Horton launched his food service I did an eyeroll but he has certifications, he knows his shit, and he has a DIETICIAN oversee the program! Plus it’s a damn sight cheaper than Tracy Andersons, with more calories, organic foods, no processed foods and Free-range chicken, grass-fed beef if you have the flexitarian option. Can I also ask how 700 calories can cost $55 a day? I’m really hoping this isn’t the same crap she’s pushing in her “method” diet because there is NO WAY that should cost $55 a day! Even so for a meal service it’s extortion!
Looking at her method diet if someone told me I could only have 1 grapefruit and 1/2 strawberries for breakfast (seriously?) I’d unleash my hunger rage on them bigtime! Sorry not happening! Another Tracy Anderson breakfast: 1 apple and 1 hardboiled egg! Ok enough woman! You know NOTHING about nutrition or exercise. Go back to dancing and promoting anorexia (700 calories a day!!!). One lunch on her program is 1 plain veggie burger with steamed kale… or my personal favorite from week 14: 2 large celery stalks with natural peanut butter!!! That’s lunch? And this is the person launching a food delivery service?
What a joke!
What do you think of food delivery services? Have you tried one?
Thoughts on Tracy Anderson?
By Di Hickman, on May 20th, 2013 
Today’s Motivation Monday is about strength. Not just physical strength, but mental strength. When I ran my 5k after my virus I set a goal to not walk, despite coughing and wanting to quit I dug deep and kept running. You never know how strong you are until you are pushed! Physically when I did my bodypump training our trainer Josef took me and Julie aside and said we needed to lift more weight “you are stronger than you think you are” and he was so right! Almost 2 years later and I am physically and mentally much stronger than I was back then too.
Real strength comes from within.
By Di Hickman, on May 19th, 2013 
Another week gone by and what a time we’ve had lately! I’ve really enjoyed putting this weeks pages together. Even though I’m working a week behind on the pages it’s fun just a week later remembering little things. Going to see IronMan seems AGES ago already… guess we’ve just had a busy couple of weeks
So many favorites to choose from but Sunday we went to see IronMan 3 at the Disney lot. Always fun to travel to the lot and see free movies. Afterwards it was dinnertime so we went to Lotus Vegan for delicious vegan Thai!
This weekend we started brewing out own beer! It took a little longer than expected as bringing 3 1/2 quarts of fluid to the boil takes a while, it also takes a while to cool! The kitchen looks like a bomb went off!!! | I also went shopping for some new workout clothes. It’s been a while and really I need to get in the habit of buying 1-2 outfits a month. I took Maria’s advice and went for COLOR and I love it! Hot pink and grey really go well together, and the blue shorts which I may regret for running.
I’ll be doing a review on Lotus Vegan the vegan thai restaurant we went to soon! We’ve been there before but never done a review so I took lots of pics this time I’ll be sharing some pics of my workout clothes too… just some idea’s for blog posts rattling around my brain as I shop
This week I started taking more self portraits. I need to take more photo’s of US not just the dogs. I also need more of us AND the dogs. | Debi has puppies available! I very nearly called her for one (or three!)! Not that we need another dog right now but how cute are these three!!! | I took Sky to a couple of new parks, almost got her parklist complete! | Pixel dug holes in the garden trying to dig up the squirrels!
Blog posts this week:
This week my blog host was down AGAIN. So I got my tech advisor/support (AKA Bob) to find a new host for my websites. So now WorkoutWithDi is running on a new host! The best part is we know him, he’s a friend so if we have any problems he’s close by to provide support Yay! This also means I can throw idea’s around for future online projects…
Physical Activity done this week:
- Sunday – walk dogs
- Monday – walk dogs, bodypump,
- Tuesday – walk dogs, bike ride
- Wednesday – walk dogs BodyPump, pilates
- Thursday – walk dogs, BodyCombat, CXworx
- Friday – walk dogs, training, Coreworks,
- Saturday – walk dogs, bodypump, CXworx
After the race Saturday I was a little tired. Had a nagging tendon in my hip and my achilles. Which then transfered to my hamstring and well my body just told me what I already knew: I ran too fast with little training AND I need to get yoga back into my schedule! Basically I need to start doing my training schedule for myself again… tell me something I don’t already know body!!!
Blog Stats
I thought it would be interesting to share some search terms that people found my blog from, aside from last weeks usual suspects (bodypump, cxworx, spinning). As “I hate Zumba” also seems to be a regular I’m excluding that unless there are some funny ones. So here are some interesting search stats for the last 30 days:
- zumba certificate paris - if someone PAID for me to go to Paris and paid for the certification I’d think about doing it lol!
- why do i suck at zumba - you don’t… everyone sucks ok that was mean but usually because of bad instruction, this is why I don’t like the premise of Zumba, no instruction. The instructors need to get on the mic and cue people as to what they are meant to be doing!
- can you go to zumba alone – why wouldn’t you? Either you want to “join the party” or your don’t! Sheesh I cannot belieive I post one “I hate zumba” posts and now I get all these zumba people popping by! BTW… go, try it, then go to a REAL class like BodyPump or BodyCombat
- trader joe’s lentil soup can nutrition – this is why I do reviews!!!
- weights post cx works class – NO! Weights BEFORE CXworx class!!! Always!
- disneyland kennel – you’re welcome! Again this is why I do reviews…
Nothing funny this week! Maybe I need to start throwing those random phrases and words back into my posts Challenge accepted Obi-wan Kenobi!
Coming soon
- Workout videos will resume in June! I’ll be doing different ones each week and bringing in some equipment too I figure I’ve done plenty of no equipment workouts, time to get some toys in on this workout lark!
- review, reviews reviews!!! Anything or anywhere new we eat or use I’m taking pics and doing reviews. Coming soon: Trader Joes vegan/vegetarian foods, protein powders, drinks, snack bars, restaurants, movies, magazines, books, equipment and more!
- More race recaps and training updates. Another race booked for June and we plan on doing at least one per month! Look for recaps and photo’s…
- Theme posts. Sometimes stuff doesn’t fit into a category but it’s stuff I want to share so I want to make people more aware of races, charity days, and special days for diseases etc. Health awareness is something we ALL need to be more mindful of!
- Nutrition posts!!! I’m sharing more on nutrition as a way to cement information in my head. I’m actually a lifestyle and weight management specialist and I haven’t used one bit of the information so far. I need to put together my program for clients so I’m going to share a little from this as I go
what else would you like to see on the blog?
let me know in the comments or drop me an email!
By Di Hickman, on May 18th, 2013  Today is the start of Adults Learners’ week in England. I believe Canada was last week? And I couldn’t find ANY informations on USA. Honestly I think the message is the same regardless of when the week is, or where you live: You are NEVER too old! From the Adult Learners week website:
celebration of the benefits of lifelong learning and is the perfect opportunity to explore the many types of learning available to adults from all walks of life.
Why am I sharing this on a fitness blog? Because if not for Adult learning I wouldn’t be where I am now. At age 25 I decided to switch careers and head into fitness. I did this by attending college at 25. I had continued educating myself since leaving school (after deciding full time higher education wasn’t for me). When Bob and I decided to pursue a life in America, we did so by Bob attending University as an ADULT to gain his Bachelors degree. You are NEVER too old!
Once we got our greencards and I was eligible to work again I retook my certifications, studied for more certifications and now and contemplating my education for 2013. Education is what keeps us ahead of the game and keeps our mind sharp. I’ve even attended Moorpark College for some courses I found interesting, I may never get a specialized degree because my interests are so varied, but I learn because I enjoy it.
5 ways to learn:
- Check your local Community Parks and Recreation – ours has classes at the local parks and community centers.
- Adult School - We have an adult school locally that offers classes in various things from hairdressing to welding! This also tends to be “after hours” aimed at those adults already working a day job.
- Local Colleges – ours has a whole host of things to learn. You don’t need to work towards a degree, or certifications. If you have an interest in something a college course is sometimes a fun way to approach things. You may not be the oldest person in class either! Lots of adults are returning to further education. In the “small business management” class I took the average age was probably around 30! In the fitness classes I did feel like the dinosaur in the room but I was always made welcome
- Podcasts - there are many free podcasts online. This is especially useful for those that have a long commute and want to pass the time. My favorite: coffee break spanish. Short 10-15 minute podcasts that teach you to speak spanish. I used to listen to these whilst walking the dogs, but now we’re training the puppy it’s impossible. Soon I’ll get back to it though!
- iTunes University - this is an untapped resource! In iTunes you can find class transcribes, recordings, videos and classes from leading colleges and universities.
Why not research one of the above methods and see what you can learn! Remember you are NEVER too old!
What do you wish you could learn? What’s stopping you?
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