My First Vlog

Friday, April 13, 2012

This is a test of the lame-o broadcasting system. I really get nervous anytime there is a camera on, so I apologize in advance for the uncomfortable-ness of this little episode. I am testing out my webcam with the Idea that I will do a little hoop dance video, but after watching this myself, I don't know if I will have the courage to post said video. We shall see.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

MOSTMOM1 4/13/2012 9:16PM

Not weird, I'm loving it. Your kitchen is cool! And wow, your webcam is super sharp. Gonna go watch you hoop now. Report Inappropriate Comment

SJKENT1 4/13/2012 7:42PM

You are ready!! Can't wait to see you hoopin' it up!! Report Inappropriate Comment

JOYINKY 4/13/2012 7:38PM

Not weird Lauren, cute! You're ready for prime time! I'm looking forward to your hooping Vlog! It is nice to see other beginners. Report Inappropriate Comment

BOGUSANNIE 4/13/2012 6:40PM

I was hoping to see you hoop!! You have nothing to worry about, your vlog is fine...not weird.. Report Inappropriate Comment

BTLSMUM 4/13/2012 4:51PM

You're adorable!! Report Inappropriate Comment

Hoop-mania, Bada$$ bruising and Jillian Level 2

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

First I just want to say: I LOVE MY HOOP! Seriously! I decided I couldn't wait for my bruise to heal to start hooping again, so I hooped yesterday for 50 minutes! The photo I will show you of my new bruise my make you shudder. I think its pretty bada$$!

Anyway, here is how my weekly workout has gone so far:

Monday: Jillian's 30 day shred, Level 1.

Tuesday: Hoop for 50 minutes to Alternative Endurance station on Pandora. I seriously had to tell myself to stop, force myself to put the hoop away, and stop myself from going back to it later.

Wednesday: Jillian's 30 day shred, Level 2. So here's the thing about level two. . . HOLY CRAP! Where is level 1.5? I was dying on the floor! For 15 minutes after the workout was over, sweat was still dripping off my face! After I showered I had a hard time reaching my arm up to the medicine cabinet to get my toothbrush! I am pretty sure I won't be able to lift my arms tomorrow. LOL! But it was fun!

I think I have found a good mix of things to keep me motivated and working out. I am actually pretty proud of myself for working out so hard 3 days in a row. I am considering hooping some more this afternoon as well. :D

Today is technically supposed to be measurement day, but I am going to skip it for three reasons. 1) The Crimson Tide is playing...I'll let you figure that one out. 2) Hooping has caused some swelling in my abdomen 3) Easter candy is worse than Halloween candy in this house and because of #1 I can't seem to say no to chocolate.

So without further ado, here is my gnarly bruise! Hope you aren't eating. tee hee hee

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

BTLSMUM 4/12/2012 8:01AM

IMO, Level 2 is the harder than Level 3. Report Inappropriate Comment

SCHWINNER! 4/12/2012 7:59AM

Holy crap!!!! That is a really impressive bruise!!! Powering through like a champ, though!! :) Report Inappropriate Comment

SCAREWALDORF 4/12/2012 3:05AM

Wooooaaa! I have a hoop somewhere, I should probably dig it out, but I don't think I'd be quite as hard core as you! Nice work! Report Inappropriate Comment

OPTIMIST1948 4/11/2012 8:25PM

All you hoopers look like you are having so much fun.... Report Inappropriate Comment

PIGSOFGREEN 4/11/2012 4:39PM

Oh man, you totally sound like me!! I have the 30 day shred, and I felt the same way about level 2...seems like a big jump! Awesome hooping...I'm totally with you, that bruise is a badge of honor, as horrible as it must feel. I've got awful shin splints from running, but I feel like I'm almost proud of the pain, because I -earned- it. lol Easter candy is the one of the holiday candy streaks that I have a hard time with...AND my tide is "in" as well...crap combination. hopefully it ends soon! Report Inappropriate Comment

LEIAMLOW 4/11/2012 4:26PM

The funny thing is I play Roller Derby and I've never had a bruise this bad from that! LOL! I want to try keeping the hoop low on my hips or go for thigh hooping. :) Report Inappropriate Comment

SNOWANGELDIVA 4/11/2012 4:23PM

Gn@rly bruise! WOAH!!!! I'm such a sissy! I got a dinky little one on my knee and quit hooping for days (well, on my knees) and you're contemlplating hooping as early as today...shoulder hooping, right? *O*U*C*H*!! Rockstar battle wounds! Report Inappropriate Comment

Hooping bruises and a visit to SeaWorld

Sunday, April 08, 2012

So, i have these lovely bruises all over my abdomen from my lovely new hoop. I am told that this is very common for new hooping enthusiasts, so I am not too worried about it. The big bummer is that it hurts so bad I can't hoop again until the bruises are gone. The last time I hooped was Wednesday and the bruises are already beginning to lighten so hopefully I can pick it up again soon. I was having so much fun hooping to music last week that I did it for 35 minutes straight! Then picked it up again later in the day and did it for 15 more minutes! Hence the bruising. :/

Wednesday night we drove out to Coronado to stay at the Navy Lodge with some friends and do the San Diego tourist thing. We got a lovely room right on the beach! It was a little cold, but so beautiful. I never thought I would love California as much as I do! We spent Thursday at SeaWorld. The absolute highlight of my day, nay week, possibly even year was that I got to pet a Dolphin! They have this really cool tank where the dolphins come right up to the edge. The trainers encourage as much interaction as possible. It took about 20 minutes to get the Dolphins to get comfortable with us. There was one in particular that was so gentle. He came right over to us and rolled onto his back so we could rub his belly. It was such an awesome experience. I have loved dolphins ever since I was a little girl, so it was kind of a dream come true. You should have seen me, lol. My husband was able to get in there and play with them as well, but my daughter wasn't having it. She liked watching them, but when they came up to the edge of the tank, she was DONE!

Anyway, it was a lovely mini vacation. We finished off our trip with a visit to the San Diego Maritime Museum. That was my husbands favorite part of the trip. :) All that walking we did was good exercise, so I don't feel too bad about not getting in any actual workouts since Wednesday. And of course, today being a holiday, I doubt I will get any exercise today. We are headed out later to do an egg hunt with the kiddos and eat yummy food. I will try to restrain myself.

I hope you are all having a wonderful time celebrating this day in your own personal way. Blessings!

BTW, here is a very personal and embarrassing photo of my hooping bruise which I somehow only feel comfortable sharing with my fellow Sparkers.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

JAYDEE16 4/11/2012 11:17AM

OUCH!!! That looks painful! And yeah . . . I still want to try it, ha ha! :) Do you just do the hoop for all that time or do you have some sort of hoop workout? What an awesome mini-vacation! Glad you had a great time and are loving Cali! :) Report Inappropriate Comment

BRIDGIEEE 4/9/2012 10:17AM

Ouch! I hooped a lot yesterday (well a lot for this beginner) and today I have some sore spots but no bruises yet. I almost kind of want the bruises, kind of like a hazing into hooping lol. Report Inappropriate Comment

FUNSIZESANDY 4/9/2012 10:08AM

You make me want to try hooping! Report Inappropriate Comment

ROSGETSSERIOUS 4/9/2012 6:03AM

I love your dolphin experience - and the bruises are real war wounds -way to go! Report Inappropriate Comment

MOSTMOM1 4/8/2012 10:55PM

Now you're a real hooper! LOL. Wait til you start boxing your ears or trying to knock out your teeth. Hooping is a contact sport! Ha ha. You could do some off-body hooping, while you're waiting for those bruises to go away. That's fun stuff too. Cool, dolphin time! Don't you love it when you get to do things you'd always dreamed of? Pretty sweet. Report Inappropriate Comment

Let's add Hooping to my list of AWESOME fun workouts!

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Hula Hoop has arrived! Months ago I added Hula Hooping to my list of Want to do this/Rewards. Last week, I went ahead and ordered a real hoop (as opposed to the toy kind you get at Walmart) from a seller on Etsy. Yesterday, the Mailman knocked on my door and handed it over with a perplexed look on his face (it was simply wrapped in bubble wrap, so you could tell what it was). I had been trying to hoop with a whamo toy hoop for weeks with no luck at all, so it was a bit of a gamble to fork out $30.00 for another hoop, but let me tell you what a huge difference the right equipment makes!

If you've ever wondered about hooping, there is a SparkTeam of Hooping enthusiasts and you really should check out MOSTMOM1's blog! She is a Hooper and a seriously funny and inspirational blogger! She is the reason I decided to get a hoop!

But I'm gettin off track. Anyway: Hoop arrives and immediately I can get that thing going! WOO HOO! I keep it going for 10 minutes straight and only lost it because my baby girl wanted to join in, so I had to grab it before it knocked her in the head! I added 10 minutes of Hooping to my Fitness Tracker and was pleasantly surprised to see it burned 72 calories. Not a ton, but if I keep it up for 30 minutes a day I will almost get my 300 calorie a day burn! AND ITS FUN!!!! Can I get A WOO HOO!!! Plus I am still doing Jillian's 30 day shred about 3 times a week, so hooping is all bonus!

If you've been considering it I highly recommend purchasing a quality hoop. Size, weight and grip tape make all the difference in the world. There are several great hoop makers on Etsy. I bought mine from HoopMamas. Happy Hooping Sparkers!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CR4ZY_BEAUTIFUL 5/26/2012 10:42AM

I just got my hoop yesterday! AND I'm about to start the 30 day shred lol. I'm glad to see that someone else is using it and getting results. I only was able to do 7 minutes today with the hoop before my muscles were begging me to stop! Lol. Bring on the burn! M Report Inappropriate Comment

QUEENMOXIE 4/9/2012 7:31AM

Woo Hoo! I've been wanting to make a hoop but can't find the materials I need. I think that I should just buy one.....I'll have to check it out. Good luck hooping! Report Inappropriate Comment

ROSGETSSERIOUS 4/9/2012 6:00AM

I have been trying with the Target hoop without much successive- thanks for this blog - I didn't realize that the type of hoop makes such a difference. Thanks for this post - looking forward to reading about your hooping adventures - is there a video in the making?? Have fun.... Report Inappropriate Comment

MOSTMOM1 4/8/2012 11:00PM

LOVE that tape! Getting a real hoop makes a huge difference, doesn't it? I'm glad you're having fun. How long before someone tries to get you to skate and hoop? Yikes! Report Inappropriate Comment

SCHWINNER! 4/5/2012 8:09AM

Super cool!!!! And very awesome hoop you picked out :) I do like hula hooping - they have these weighted ones at the fitness center that are kinda crazy!! Enjoy yourself!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

JAYDEE16 4/4/2012 12:10PM

That looks SO fun. I'm afraid I'm not sufficiently coordinated. But I'm going to add it to my wish list anyway! Along with the jump rope, bosu ball, aerobic step, new dumbbells, resistance bands . . . . etc. :) How's that Jillian working out for you? Any obvious "shredding" happening? I think I really need to pick that up this weekend, I am NOT loving the stationary bike lately! You are totally rocking it lately, WOO HOO! I'm so proud of you for kicking that funk outta town! Hope you are feeling fantastic! Report Inappropriate Comment

PIGSOFGREEN 4/4/2012 11:51AM

This is so inspiring, and I LOVE the hoop you got!! I'm off to check out the group now :) Report Inappropriate Comment

Further Research on my Workout DVD Faceoff

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

So, I am sorry to say that I think I may be retiring the Coach Nicole 28 day Bootcamp DVD. I gave it the old college try, but I am just not enjoying it. When I was in high school (a million years ago) I was on the dance team. I've also done Belly Dancing over the years, so I consider myself to be fairly coordinated and capable when it comes to dance moves....so why can I not seem to get the damn grapevine-to-mambo move Coach Nicole seems to love so much? I do not know. My ineptitude aside, I just don't feel like I am getting anything out of my 20+minutes doing this routine. :(

However, I am really enjoying the Jillian Michaels stuff. I know, I know, you've heard this already. But I just thought I would let you all know that I am still conducting my research. :) Jillian has a game for the x-box Kinect that looks pretty entertaining. I would like to give it a try, but I am not sure I can get my daughter to allow me the space and time to use it. We have a Kinect, but I have given up trying to use it when she wants to play as well. It's just not calibrated to understand what's going on when she comes running in and out of the Kinect's field of vision. It's okay though. I think instead I will just get a couple more Jillian DVD's down the road as rewards.

Thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with my blog. I hope some of you find this information useful. I will continue to post information about my experience and results. :)

Oh, and as for my competition with my friend to lose the most weight in a week: we both gained weight...lol. 2 pounds for me and 3 for her. So we are going to go at it again next week. my hubby has a 4 day weekend so we will be off on another great Southern California Adventure! Which is sure to include a sub-par diet :/ I'll do my best. Have a wonderful week everyone!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

JAYDEE16 3/29/2012 12:37PM

Does that mean you won? :P Just kidding! I'm glad you posted this because I've been thinking about getting both those DVDs. Coach Nicole is great, but I think I'll skip the 28-Day Bootcamp. The consensus seems to be that it's good for beginners but not challenging enough. Personally, I just have a hard time with DVDs and prefer to do my own thing, but I'm still considering Jillian. Sounds a little more straightforward and effective. You're doing great! Enjoy your long weekend with your hubby! And don't stress about food! :) Report Inappropriate Comment

SCHWINNER! 3/29/2012 7:21AM

I know, it feels sacrilegious to say you don't like it HERE, but I understand! I know of a couple other Sparkers who felt the same way - it just wasn't for them. I haven't tried it, but just looking at the reviews and descriptions made me come to the conclusion that it wasn't for me! Keep on keepin' on!! Report Inappropriate Comment

CARRKM 3/28/2012 1:57PM

Thanks for the info - it IS useful! Don't feel bad - every person is different and has different work out needs. Glad you found something you like! Report Inappropriate Comment