Peekaboo

I know. I've been away for a long time - or rather I have been focused on the real world. On teaching. On living my life and finding balance between the two.

Its been a constant ride of absorbing and processing and experimenting... making awesome mistakes and listening to feedback and my instincts. I know I have come a very long way in a very short time because I feel the places inside me where I have stretched and broken and mended and become stronger; I sense where the fear coveted my mind in darkness because I can feel my own light warming me. There was a time when all I did was look back and try to analyze the mistakes I'd made and yet over this past year, I didn't let myself look back very far at all, to the person I was before.

More musings to come... probably.

Get Going - More Motown (Certification Observation)

SO the time has finally come to get my class observed so I can officially be certified in Older Adult Fitness. Today is the day, and I'm going to try to keep it simple and have fun. Here is another Motown soundtrack to light up your Tuesday funk:

Michael Jackson & the Jackson Five - A B C
Pharrell Williams - Happy
Diana Ross - Upside Down
Kool & The Gang - Celebration
Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive 
Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free
Gloria Gaynor - I will survive
Marvin Gaye - Got To Give It Up, Part 1
Diana Ross - I'm Comin Out
Aretha Franklin - Respect
Rose Royce - Car Wash
The Commodores - Brick House
Jean Knight - Mr Big Stuff
Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Marvin Gaye - Mercy, Mercy Me
Blank and Jones - Luftschloss

UPDATE: I totally passed - even though I didn't feel like I taught "the perfect class", my trainer really liked all of the components and "gave the highest marks I've ever given in a first time practical assessment" and anything she remarked on was just so she could give me stuff to work on going forward. She even said that if someone was looking for a mentor, I could easily show them my incredibly balanced and fun class. Yay!!

Hoop Strength Core - Buff Beauty

This challenging workout will make you flex and find the beauty within. Let's go!

The One Song Warm-up
Write out these exercises somewhere you can see while you do it.
Every time the song changes in some way, go to the next exercise.
Today we did Brian Setzer's Jump Jive and Wail.

• Rocking Horse  - Right foot back
• Squat Hops with Side Step - Right
• Three way kicks - Right only
• Rocking Horse  - Left foot back
• Squat Hops with Side Step - Left
• Three way kicks - Left only
• Alternating Speed Skater
• Alternating Front Kicks with Reach
• Hi Knee Jog
• Jumping Jacks
• Foot Fire

Buff Beauty
Have one mid-weight/heavy dumbbell ready and a pair of light/mid-weight dumbbells and a pair of gliders. Do 8-12 reps on each side, Right leg then left.

• Alternating Infinity Lunges
• Plie Squats
• Lunges
• Ballerina Squat Lunges
• Curtsy Squat with Lateral Dumbbell Raise
• Head & Shoulders, Knees & Toes Kettle Swing & Dead Lift
• Goddess Kali Curls
• Seated Russian Twist
• Hip Lift Bridge -Leg Lift & Extend ~Alternate
• Heel Touch 
• Gliding Heel Tucks (optional hip raise)
• Belly Up Faux Jacks 

Some Stretches

•  Single Knee Tuck stretch
• T Twist stretch
• Figure 4 Hip stretch
  ~do the other side!
• Happy Baby/Dead Bug pose
• Wide Leg Supine Fold (or maybe just one leg at a time - play with it)

Hoop Time!!
Lily came for the first time today and had some good success her first time out. It was Marilyn's second class, and experienced "a 500% improvement" and has graduated from the mother-ship to the classic tiger beginner hoop size! 

Today's Playlist
The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Jump, Jive, An' Wail
Dave Bolton XiM - Swing House mix

Get Going - ElectroSpring!

It can be hard to stay on the level when the weather goes back and forth between winter and spring... Hopefully this Electroswing ElectroSpring playlist contributes to your inner sunshine.

The Playlist

Fred Astaire - Putting on the Ritz (Club des Beluga mix)
Lena Horne - Little Doggie
De-Phazz - The Mambo Craze
Kenneth Bager & Fragment Eight & the Hellerup Cool School Choir - The Sound of Swing
Club des Belugas - Hip Hip Chin Chin (Maxim Ilion Mix)
Gabin - doo_uap_doo_uap_doo_uap
Caravan Palace - Jolie Coquine
Mr Scruff - Get a Move On
SilverSneakers - Dance Jive & Swing - Mambo #5
Jazz Juice - fever (pagany_jazzy_mix)
Chinese Man - Artichaut
Nicolas Repac - Revue Noir

Hoop Strength Core - A Little Hard Core *Easter Monday edition*

Many people enjoy Easter because of the chocolate or the big family dinner... This year I got to go to Vancouver to enjoy some time with friends. We drank a few cocktails, had fancy breakfasts out, ordered in dinner and played board games, went out dancing and had a few more cocktails... and while we walked to breakfast, we didn't really exercise. Its okay if you didn't either. You are here now, so maybe we'll just work a teensy bit harder this week.

The One Song Warm-up
Write out these exercises somewhere you can see while you do it. Every time the song changes in some way, go to the next exercise. These exercises went really well with today's song Brian Setzer's Jump Jive and Wail.

• Rocking Horse  - Right foot back
• Squat Hops with Side Step - Right
• Three way kicks - Right only
• Rocking Horse  - Left foot back
• Squat Hops with Side Step - Left
• Three way kicks - Left only
• Alternating Speed Skater
• Alternating Front Kicks with Reach
• Hi Knee Jog
• Jumping Jacks
• Foot Fire

A Little Hard Core
No equipment to start with! Do 8 reps on each side, Right leg then left.

• Alternating Infinity Lunges
• Plie Squats
• Lunge Squats
• Ballerina Squat Lunges
• Drinking Bird Dead Lifts
• Wood Chopper Curtsy
• Flamingo Ab Twister
• Wall sit series  x5 each (do all on Right, then all on left)
  -toe taps - front leg lifts -side leg lifts -out & in leg lifts

Get out a pair of low to medium weights and sit back on the wall! Do 4, 6, or 8 of each - go slow!

• Front Chest Press (elbows wide, palms away)
• Arnold Overhead Press (Palms in at chest, twist palms away as you press up)
• Snow Angel Shoulder Fly (Keep elbows on the wall as you glide the weights low to high and back)

Now we get down to the floor and put our feet up on the wall, keeping those weights nearby!

• Boat Pose variation - rowing arms without weights (push feet into wall & core into floor)
• Boat Pose variation - with weights rowing **Go in BOTH directions**
• Heel Touch variation - with or without weights (trying to touch the wall beneath your feet)
• Reclining Tricep Extension - with or without weight (elbows high, palms away)
• Belly Up Faux Jacks /Snow Angel Jacks

• Forearm & Wrist curls
  Here is where you may need to get creative - but its a wonderful exercise for those who are looking to gain strength in their hands, wrists and forearms!
  Get an empty milk jug and fill it with just a little water inside.
  Put the cap back on and put a stick into the jug handle and grab both sides.
  Squeeze and roll your hands and wrists forward like you are wringing out some laundry.
  Go slow at first. Feel the sensations in your hands, wrists and forearms. The stick will just roll around inside the jug handle.
  Try going in the other direction now, pulling your knuckles up and pushing your wrists forward. 
• Hand "expressions"
  Press the palms forward and pull the fingers back towards yourself, like the fingers are stretching out wide - like a yawn.
  Bend each finger down in turn. Pointer, Middle, Ring, Baby (yes, 90% of us can't move our baby finger all by itself) then back.
  Flick away each finger like you are flicking a marble away from you. Don't forget your thumb!
• Thumb/Finger Hugs
  Open your hand and tuck in your thumb, squeeze & release. Tuck in your fingers and wrap your thumb on the outside, squeeze & release.

Some Stretches

•  Single Knee Tuck stretch
• T Twist stretch
• Figure 4 Hip stretch
  ~do the other side!
• Happy Baby/Dead Bug pose
• Wide Leg Supine Fold (or maybe just one leg at a time - play with it)

Now its Hoop Time baby!!

The Playlist
The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Jump, Jive, An' Wail
Big Daddy - This Is Y!

Get Going - Get Strong, Get Dancing

We experimented with our low weight dumbells today - with great success! A kickin' playlist had us dancing in our chairs. I improvised an easy non-Zumba dance routine to go with Mambo#5 and then kept the enthusiasm up while we worked balance and coordination. It all really just came together!

SilverSneakers - Dance Jive & Swing
Who Put the Bomp
The Twist
Jailhouse Rock
Let's Twist Again
Hound Dog
Twisting the Night Away
At the Hop
Swing Another Mood
Mambo #5
Jump Jive and Wail
Glee Soundtrack - Lady Is a Tramp
Pharrell Williams - Happy
Paolo Nutini - New Shoes

Hoop Strength Core - The Lazy Girl Workout

Sometimes you don't even want to get out of your pajamas let along head to the gym or the a fitness class, so for today's class (and homework) I planned it all so there was as little standing up as possible and when we did- we made it count!

The One Song Warm-up
So choose a song (roughly 3-5minutes long) that has a distinct chorus/verse structure. Anything Top 40 should work fine. Write out these exercises somewhere you can see while you do it. Every time the song changes in some way, go to the next exercise. If you get to the end, just start over.
Today's song was Mackelmore's Can't Hold Us. Give it a try!

• Jumping Jacks
• Alternating Squat Hops
• Side Lunging Diagonal Reach
• Head & Shoulders Knees & Toes (Knees & Toes, Knees & Toes)
• Cross Country Ski - Right side only
• Alternating Front Punch Butt Kicker
• Cross Country Ski - Left side only
• Wall Push Jog

The Lazy Girl Workout
Get your mat out & a pair of low to medium weights and sit on down! Our workout took roughly 25 minutes doing just 1 set of 20 reps. You can break it up into more sets with fewer reps, or whatever.

• Pretzel Side Kick - Right Side 
• Side Reclining Leg Lift & Sweep - Right Side
• Clamshell - Right side
• Superman core work -Flutter -Scissors
• Pretzel Side Kick - Left Side 
• Side Reclining Leg Lift & Sweep - Left Side
• Clamshell - Left side
• Reclining Bicycle -Forward -Reverse
• T Twist Crunchs
• Hip Lift Bridge -Leg Lift & Extend -Combine Leg Lift & Hip Lift
• Reverse Bird Dog Crunchs -Right only -Left only
• Reclining Alternating Chest Fly (with Dumbells)
• Reclining Tricep Extension (with Dumbells)
• Reclining Locked Elbow Fly (with Dumbells)
• Seated Bicep Curls (with Dumbells)
• Seated Russian Twist (with Dumbells)
• Seated Head & Shoulders, Knees & Toes (with Dumbells)
• Wide Leg Folding Stretch
• Bound Angle Fold Stretch
• Figure 4 Leg Stretch
• T Twist Stretch

Hoop Time!
With spring preparing to sproing, I hope you have taken your hoop out and given it a whirl... in class we spend 30minutes hooping and working on whatever skills we've all been working on.
Natalie is working on her Vortex up to Halo... It was Arlene's first class ever and she got in some good waist hooping which is "way better than I thought I'd do my first day out"! Marilyn has gained some confidence and is more willing to try various hoop sizes and explore. I am so proud!

The Playlist

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Can't Hold Us
Basement Jaxx - Bingo Bango
Pussycat Dolls- When I Grow Up
Daft Punk - Get lucky
Pharrell Williams - Happy
Hellogoodbye - here (in your arms)
Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart
Tape Five - Bad Boy Good Man (Feat. Henrik Wager)
Jazz Juice - Fever (pagany jazzy mix)
Ella Fitzgerald - Air Mail Special (club des belugas remix)
Ellie Goulding - Burn.mp3
Nikka Costa - Everybody Got Their Something
Delerium (Featuring Aude) - Terra Firma (Lara's Mix)