How to work out in the circuit room

OK people. After today's workout, I had to write this post. Now, I'm no expert at working out--in any way, shape, or form. I'm just a girl who's struggled with her weight the majority of her life, has never been athletic, and is trying to get her ish together.

But, I am a damn good direction-follower!!! 

I first heard of circuit workouts when Curves became a huge hit many years ago (which feels crazy to say. I'm so old.), but back then I wasn't motivated at all to put any effort whatsoever into changing myself for the better and getting healthy. Fast-forward to 2013 when I joined Chuze Fitness here in San Diego, I discovered the circuit room, which you can read about here. I thought it was an awesome concept and really feel like I'm truly getting in a good workout every time I do it. 

However, I am getting really sick and tired of being cut in the circuit (see below), and seeing people wasting 30 minutes of their time in the gym because they're not doing it right. Again, I struggle with gym etiquette a lot and tend to just keep my mouth shut about everyyyyything. But this is my blog so I'm going to write about it. Here's how to get a workout in, in the circuit room. 

-Read the instructions. They should be posted on the wall. Or ask someone who works at the gym!!!

-It's designed to be a 30 minute, full-body workout. Therefore, if you're all done and look at your watch and see you've only workout out for 10, 15, or 20 minutes, you didn't do it right. 

-When you're starting on the circuit, you are supposed to pick any machine or cardio step to start on. To avoid cutting someone in line, which is extremely rude and inconvenient and disruptive to their circuit, wait for the current minute to go, then watch where everyone goes during the 30-second changing period. Then, pick a machine or cardio step that is open. This seems like common freaking sense to me, so I'm continuously baffled as to how this is so difficult for people to do. 

-PUSH. YOUR. SELF. The alternating minutes to the ones where you're doing a weight machine are designed...for cardio!!!! What a concept!!! Don't stand there and lift your legs up and down. Step up and down at a quick pace and get your heart rate up. Doesn't anyone remember good ole-fashioned 90's aerobics? Do something you remember your momma doing in front of the TV. She was getting her heart rate up big time. The time to let your heart rate drop is meant to be when you get to the weight machine, not when you get to the cardio steps. 

OK, that last tip is a bit personal. And I'm sorry. I understand everyone's version of pushing themselves is going to be different. But just think about the overall purpose of the circuit workout and ask yourself "am I doing this the right way?" If you don't feel like you're getting in a full-body workout, you're either doing something wrong in general, or you're not pushing yourself hard enough. It's not meant to be some easy-peasy copout to a real workout. It IS a real workout!!

Also, for me personally, I don't feel like the amount of actual cardio I get in a circuit is enough, so I start with at least 15 minutes on the treadmill, elliptical, bike, anything to break a sweat for an extended period of time. 

OK, off my soapbox I go. 

On a completely different note, this weekend consisted of a fun-filled, exhausting day of wine tasting with my mom, her friend, and my friend. Does anyone else think wine tasting is extremely tiring??? Anyway. It was a blast. And an absolutely gorgeous day. 

Here's the view from one winery: 

And the same view at sunset: 

Doesn't that just take your breath away? California really is beautiful. 

Here's a pic of my momma and me: 

My friend and me: 

We were super excited about wearing our hats,
courtesy of her boutique. I mean closet. 

And our little fabulous group:

Yes, my mom's shirt does say "drink up bitches." God, I love her. 

Here's also a pic of our little spread at the first winery. They had a fish-taco food truck, and we got some cheese and crackers from inside. And a bottle of their rose. 

It was a fun, fabulous, sassy weekend to say the least. I also go to lay out on our little patio area on Saturday with my sweet Winnie Pooh. She loves the sun just as much as her momma: 

That face!!!!

Ahhhh. Life is good. 

In all honesty, life is hard. Really, really hard. And I have some major struggles going on in my head and my heart right now. But I'm so thankful for the blessings in my life. And I'm thankful that I keep up on this blog and remind myself of those blessings on a pretty regular basis. Because going your entire life without recognizing the amazing things God has placed in it is just miserable in so many ways. 

Anyhoo. I'm currently obsessed with Carrie Underwood's Blown Away CD. I'm obsessed with her in general, but this CD is just amazing. One of my favorite songs on it is called "Nobody Ever Told You." Part of the song goes

Mirror mirror on the wallActing like it knows it allTells you lies of vanityIt doesn't care what's underneath
All hung up on the negativeDoesn’t have to be the way it isWish you could see yourself the way I do

I know, I know. I'm getting real deep this post. But I can't help it. Carrie Underwood does that to me. I'll leave you with a video of the song: 

That's all for now, loves. Happy Taco Tuesday!!!

Another WILW

It's Wednesday!

Today I'm loving.........

MY NEW JOB! It's been amazing so far. Everyone is so nice and welcoming, and I love feeling appreciated, especially when all I'm doing is LEARNING how everything works. I know I'm a fast learner and pretty good at what I set my mind to, so it's nice to be reminded of that by someone else. However...I'm getting legitimately freaked out for what this job is going to do to my metabolism! I guess you could say I was lucky to have my last job be sooooo on-your-feet-all-the-time. (OK, that's a lie. Remember the swollen ankle that wouldn't go away? Yeah. Eff that.) It's just a big adjustment sitting at a computer for 8 hours straight. My brain hurt when I got off today. And I felt like a fatty. Time to make a plan! I'll keep you posted as soon as I figure that ish out haha. Which brings me to this question: Any of you out there have desk jobs? Please let me know what you do to make sure you maintain healthy habits at work!!

I'm also loving wearing cute clothes to the new job I love. I'll take an outfit pic tomorrow like a weirdo.

I'm also loving my puppy. That's nothing new. But I snapped this sweet picture of her in her favorite sleeping position on my legs last night. I was laying on the couch watching a TV show.

I just love her.

Alright that's all for tonight. Sorry it's nothing exciting. See you later!

Winnie the Cockapoo

I'm just laying in bed, too wired on caffeine I wasn't supposed to have anyway to go to sleep, and my sweet puppy is cuddled up next to me snoring. So, I decided to dedicate a post to her and share her sweet story with the world :) 

This was Winnie when I found her at the pound: 

I had the same dog from the time I was 7 years old to age 19. His name was Buddy and he was amazing. I grew up with him and he protected me and loved me unconditionally until he passed away of old age. Of course I was devastated, but I was distracted by school too much to need another dog right away. Until about 6 months later when I went through the worst breakup of my life--and hopefully it stays that way, by the way. It came at the end of, coincidentally, my worst academic semester of college as well as my worst emotionally. The relationship was bad and it took up my whole life. I lost touch with what was really important, came close to ruining important friendships with my sorority sisters and others, and then to top that semester off some idiot ran into me one night at the end of the semester, totalling my car and putting me in the emergency room. I knew I needed to come home for the summer, so I did. Then when I got home and didn't have Buddy, I knew I needed to also get a dog. 

So one day I decided to go to the local pounds and find me a dog. It needed to be small because of our community, but I didn't want some little diva dog (Buddy was half australian shepherd, hald golden retriever). I looked through one pound and didn't find any dog small enough that wasn't a chihuahua (sorry, I'm not into those), then we went to the 2nd pound and I walked through 4 rows of stalls, and had pretty much given up when I got to the very. last. stall. 

I saw that sweet little white fluffball in a stall with two other little dogs--one that already had a hold on it, and the other a cute little black terrior mix. I asked to interact with both the white and the black dog. My mom, my boy-at-the-time, and myself went into a little fenced in area with both dogs and the little black one was a lunatic. But a cute lunatic. The white one, on the other hand, was sweet as can be and actually cuddled with the boy at first. The black one was going a little crazy and kept bugging the white one, and finally the white one snapped at the black one--nothing mean or vicious, but it definitely was like she was saying "alright now, crazy, back the eff off me and calm your ass down!" I was in love. 

It turned out the white one had been brought in as a stray (she was 3 months old) literally 2 hours before we got there. Two. Hours. I put a hold on her and had to wait a week for any owners to come in and claim her.

I called the pound every single day for that week, checking to see if she'd been claimed. Nobody ever did, so I high-tailed it back to the pound during my 3-hour window a week later to pick her up. They told me she'd had 4 other holds placed on her behind me, so she was a hot little commodity. I mean, I'm not surprised....

Just being adorable. 

Her favorite sleeping position. 

I had picked out the name Winnie for two reasons. 1) I love Winnie the Pooh. And 2) She's a cockapoo, and I thought I was being clever. Judge me. 

Winnie saved my life that summer. She was what healed my heart when I thought I had been through the worst heartache ever (I now know I didn't, but you know how breakups go), and she helped make me happy again. 

It turns out I did kiiiiind of get a diva-dog...she does love to wear clothes...

When she graduated puppy school!

And she sure can destroy any toy within seconds....

But she's my diva. She's my Princess Winifred, my Winnie the Pooh, my Winnie-girl, and my lovebug. 

Now if only cuddling with her would burn the same amount of calories as going to the gym...

Ah, wishful thinking. 

I hope your heart has been melted a little bit :) 

Night night!