Exercise bliss - Expanded

So Husband clarified that our Monday "chest" work out was more of a push pull workout with an emphasis on the push.

This is how I understand push pull exercising. The body has opposing muscle groups that need to be worked equally or you end up unbalanced...and no one wants to be unbalanced. When you look in the mirror, the muscles you see are on the front of your body (biceps, core, quads, shins, etc) and if you were to stand against a wall, the muscles touching the wall are on the back of your body (triceps, back, booty, hamstrings, calves, etc). Ideally you want to work both the front muscles and back muscles so they balance each other out and can work together evenly. Example: the people who work their abs but have terrible posture because they aren't strengthening their back (the opposing muscle to their abs).

There are two kinds of movements, 'push' where you are moving weight away from you, aka pushing. Visa versa, the other kind of movement is 'pull' in which you are moving weight towards you in a, wait for it, pulling motion. An example of a push movement would be working your quads (where you're pushing weight away from your body), and a pull movement is working your hamstring (pulling weight towards your body).

On Monday, the two press exercises are pushing exercising because we're moving weight away from the body, and the bent over rows was a pull exercise because we were pulling weight towards the body. I guess this is a theory of exercising and it is a great way to structure your workouts to make sure you're hitting muscle groups evenly.

Exercise bliss

Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental states. ~Carol Welch

I couldn't agree more with Ms. Welch's quote. Lately I've been feeling pretty blah but after a good workout with Husband I feel 100 times better. There's nothing like pushing weights around to blow off some steam.

Now I consider myself a small girl but I do not want to be a typical gym girl who spends the majority of her time at the cardio machines. I pride myself in being able to keep up with the boy workouts, and yesterday was no exception. Yesterday was chest day which was a great kick-off workout...

We did bench press; I did the bar + 10lbs = 55lbs total
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bench_press

Then military press with a 20lb straight bar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_press

Next was bent over rows with a 25lb plate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bent-over_row

Lastly we used one of my FAVORITE things in the gym, the bosu ball. We turn them upside down and balance on the flat side. Using a 10lb medicine ball, you squat and on the way up throw the ball to your partner. The other person catches the ball and immediately goes down into a squat and throws the ball back to you on their way up. It's catch with a 10lb ball on an uneven surface. I get super excited when we do bosu exercises. If your gym has bosu balls - get on em! You can use them for push ups, squats, one-legged squats, you name it! They're a great work out tool.

Hooray for exercise and lifted spirits!

Shades of gray

Shades of gray surround me today. I was made very aware of the grayness in my life when a friend asked me, when are you two buying a house?

How can such a simple question create such discomfort within me? It got me thinking. I'm at a cross-roads in my life and so is each person in my family. My parents don't know when they're going to retire; they estimate anywhere from 3months - 3years from now. My brother graduates college Spring 2012, and who knows where he'll go after that. There are too many variable factors for me to have any concrete, definite answers especially with Husband and I and our uncertain career paths. I find myself shifting from a "planning" person to a "go with the flow" person. I can't plan my life down to the month like some people. I mean who has a predictable life? It makes me laugh because I'm AIMING for a predictable life. Every time I try and make plans, God comes in and reminds me of the fluidity of life and then it's on to the next plan.

I guess the only thing I'm somewhat confident in is that everything will work out somehow. I accept that I won't have the answers when I want them. I accept that life will never be black and white, but I'm having a hard time accepting the grayness of it all.

Slow moving

It’s been a slow Saturday which started at noon. After we woke up, Husband and I ventured to one of our favorite places, Borders for some caffeine and afternoon reading materials. It's awfully hot today so we spent the afternoon sitting in our brown leather chairs reading our respective magazines. I smiled to myself and thought, so this is life. Sitting contently side by side, enjoying the afternoon even if not directly engaged with one another. We may not converse all the time but the silence with him is comforting. I love these little moments of experiencing the slow moving parts of life together.

I’m in search of great black flats. I want comfort with a hint of trend. A classic that can be dressed up for work or dressed down with jeans. Currently I’m lusting after the Tory Burch Revas…but there are so many cute options.

Tory Burch Revas

These are simple and timeless.
SM Heaven Patent Flat

I can't decide if this ribbon is too much...?
Me Too Lilyana Flat

I like the embellishment on these
DV by Dolce Vita Novella Patent Flat

These are cute too
Adrienne Vittadini Viv Flat

My futures

Image Credit - Spreading Paths

Lately I've been contemplating what to do with my life. I am currently in a good job that I'm very thankful to have. I've been blessed with good work experiences and good co-workers but my position is also a little risky. I'm a contractor which means contracts come but contracts also end...So when my contract ends, where do I go next?

In college I loved learning about health & psychology. Do I study and become a personal trainer or dietitian or nutritionist? I could find enjoyment helping people lead healthier lifestyles. What about becoming a teacher? When I was little I used to teach my Barbies & stuffed animals and make them do math worksheets...could I do that with real children? Maybe Husband will take over his current company and I can run our household and raise our future children. That could be nice. How do you know where to go? Everyone thinks about their future paths. Check out what Dating is My Hobby says in her post yesterday.

Until I can figure out what to do and where to go, I'll find happiness in the little things where I currently am. Sitting at the pool reading Eat Love Pray. Making the house smell like home with chocolate chip cookies. Snuggle with Husband while we watch our latest obsession, The Wire. Happiness is a choice.

Richmond

I woke up in search of water because my throat felt like it was on fire. I looked down and saw my husband using my rump as his pillow and thought, wow I guess it was a good night. After getting some water, I returned to the couch and realized maybe I had a little too much fun last night…I felt dehydrated, my throat was like the Sierra Desert, and I could feel a headache coming on. My husband, Greg who I affectionately call Huggie Bear, woke up and went for my water.

Little by little pieces of the night started to come together. We came down to Richmond because Drama Drew was in town visiting one if his friends. The night started on the front porch drinking the red amber home brew that Drama & Greg made. Shortly after finishing our beers we headed to the first bar, DeLux. DeLux was a cute, swanky bar with great low lighting, rich colors, and fab art. We grabbed drinks and headed upstairs to a corner with seating.

With a little liquid courage, my shy walls came down and I started to get to know the people we were partying with. There was Bartender Mike and his new girl, Blonde Nurse. Bartender Mike seemed like a nice guy with a quiet presence so it surprised me when he said he does bartending flare. My get-to-know-you conversation was cut short because Bartender Mike ran off to find his Blonde Nurse girlfriend…who seemed more interested in chatting with her friend, Brunette Nurse than her bartender boyfriend.

Next was Traffic Reporter Amanda. Right off the bat I am a fan of this girl. She’s petite like me, blonde, and sweet. She and I immediately hit off. The first thing she said to me was ‘cute dress, I have it in red and it’s so comfy.’ I learned that she is the traffic reporter for a local radio station and is interested in writing and producing in television. I don’t know a whole lot about this girl, but I could definitely see myself being friends with her. She was able to hang with the guys, which is an important factor when hanging out with boys in the crew. She was sassy and didn’t put up with any shit the guys gave her, another important factor for hanging with my boys. But she was also fun to girl-talk to.

Throughout these conversations I kept floating back to Husband, who was looking confident and debonair. I love being in public with him…we flirt, tease each other, and sneak kisses when people aren’t paying attention.

Anyways, Delux was filling up quick with 20-something girls in miniskirts and sky high heels. The group was ready for a scene change so we paid our tabs and walked to the next bar. I can’t remember the name of the bar we went to but we spent the rest of the night in this crowded, dance-music playing bar. This is when the fun really kicked in. Drink after drink Husband and I laughed and talked with Reporter Amanda and Drama Drew.

With the music blaring I couldn’t help but shake my tail feather…which led to meeting Sorority Sarah. Sorority Sarah is casually dating one of Drama Drew’s boys. My college didn’t have Greek life but Sarah strikes me as a girl who would be in a sorority: dressed to the nines in a short, satin, black dress; bitchin’ shoes; super straight hair, and smoky eyes. She could hold her liquor and was immediately open for girl talk. I guess I made her feel comfortable because she opened up to me about her dating woes. We bonded over how silly and unreadable boys can be, shared drinks, and became bathroom buddies. By the end of the night she, Reporter Amanda and I were dancing and singing Miley Cyrus songs (I am ashamed of the last part). And now I remember why I woke up with a sore throat and throbbing head.

I came into the evening with an open mind which is important when you’re going out. Plans change, people come and people go, but if you go with the flow there’s a great chance you’ll have a great night…and that’s exactly what I had: a great night with an old friends and making new friends…where’s the Advil?

As hard as I try

As hard as I try, I’m kind of forgetful. When I want to remember something, my first instinct is write it down. Whether it’s a to-do list or notes about when to pick up my dry cleaning, I write things down as a way to help me remember. Throughout high school I wrote about my life in journals. Even as a wee little girl I had a journal. Picture a little Asian girl carrying around a pink princess diary with a lock and key; yeah, that was me. But somehow writing about the things that happened to me got lost after high school. College demanded more of my time and life after college moved faster than I anticipated and writing fell by the wayside.

So rather than looking back in 10 years and realizing I can’t remember some of the smaller, but still happy details of my life I want to start blogging. I hope you like it!