Exercise

The Best Birthday Gift

by Diana on September 23, 2011

in Breakfast,Eats,Exercise

This year for my birthday, I got one of the best gifts of all.

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The day started out wonderfully thanks to hubby waking up early to cook our current fave breakfast – eggs and a carb.

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For this morning, we had a fried cage-free egg and toasted whole grain English muffin with an orange on the side. Oh, and I got flowers, too!

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I painted my nails this fun hot pink color in honor of the special day.

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And as for gifts…?

The best gift of all was having my health back. After taking two months away from Zumba thanks to that back injury, I am finally back to teaching Zumba! Seriously…best gift ever. You don’t realize how many things you take for granted until they’re taken away from you. So, to have the ability to dance freely again, after two months of sometimes pain and sometimes frustration, was wonderful. I’m not 100%, but I’m almost there! :)

But, if that wasn’t awesome enough, a couple thoughtful class participants even gave me cards (and one gave me a gift!). And then…another fabulous thing happened to me. At the end of class, the whole class sang Happy Birthday to me! It was a total surprise and so touching.

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After class, I went out with some friends (Shamecia, Sarah, Talicha, Maria, and Megan – not pictured) for a sushi birthday dinner at one of my favorite sushi places in town. Dinner was excellent, as always…as was the fun conversation with my friends.

Reader Question: What’s the best birthday gift you’ve ever received?

{ 19 comments }

Baby Steps Back

by Diana on August 5, 2011

in Cooking & Baking,Exercise,Life

I’ve been taking baby steps back from my injury.

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The other day, I decided to spend a few minutes before work doing some simple yoga poses.

Please forgive my poor form. I haven’t done real yoga since Kath’s last day in Charlotte, so I was going off of rough memory.

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Let go and feel your body slooowly sinking to the earth.

I stuck with simple things that I thought would be easy on my back – lots of downward dogs (trying to not overstretch/overdo anything), warrior poses, standing with raising arms and bending (very carefully) over. I even listened to this song and laid on the ground just focusing on my breath. One of my favorite parts of yoga, back when I was a yoga-holic, was when the instructor would tell us, “Let go and feel your body slooowly sinking to the earth.” I always had a hard time with that whole letting go thing, but by the end of the class, I always managed to do so.

I felt a lot better after my mini session. Yesss. I think I’ll need to do that more. :) I’d love to sign up for more yoga classes, but they’re so darn expensive!

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In the meantime, I’ve been super busy in the kitchen. I think I have more recipes now than I have time to share them! But here’s a preview of a couple I have coming up soon.

A new Individual Egg Bake flavor – Italian-Spiced Parmesan Egg Bake.

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Italian Chicken Sausage Linguine with Tomatoes, Spinach, and Parmesan.

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Chilled Cucumber Tomato Soup (perfect for this heat wave in the US!)

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And perhaps my current favorite – Healthy Oat-licious Zucchini Muffins and Bread. Mmm.

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And for a Project Think Positive quote for the day, here’s one from one of your comments (via Ashley of Freckles and Spice):

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they’re right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” ~Marilyn Monroe

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Have you come back from an injury? What were the first types of activities/exercises you did first?

Which recipe do you want to see first?

{ 15 comments }

Benched (Injuries Suck)

by Diana on July 25, 2011

in Exercise,Life

It’s funny being a blogger sometimes because although much of your life is so public, not 100% of your life is typically published. Some of you may have noticed my hiatus from blogging a couple weeks ago. In fact, my sister noticed and g-chatted me to see what was up. Here’s what I’ve been hiding from you…

On Thursday, July 14th, I did something super stupid and jumped into a shallow pool at a pool party. Everyone was doing cannonballs into the pool, so I figured it would be ok for me to jump in, too…also cannonball-style. What I didn’t expect, and what ended up happening, was that my back actually hit the bottom of the pool. It didn’t hurt when I hit, but my back did start to feel like it was stiffening up soon after. I kept calm at the party but couldn’t wait to go home. On the car ride home, I called hubby crying and freaking out on the phone. I am a naturally paranoid person, so I was certain I had done something bad. It was everything I could do to not rush to the hospital right away. Luckily, hubby is completely non-paranoid and talked me into coming home instead.

Long story short, I spent the entire weekend freaking out and wondering what on earth I could have done to myself. I could move, but my back felt super stiff, so I was trying to not move around too much. On Friday, I worked. Then, I spent most of Saturday trying to rest and lay down. On Sunday, I tried to move around and get out and about for a bit. Finally, on Monday, I saw a doctor and got x-rays. I was worried, but the doctors had good news – they didn’t think anything was broken. He said he didn’t even see any cracks in any bones (though he did say they could be there) on the x-rays. The doctor also did some checks to see if I had a herniated disc, which he said he didn’t think I had either. He said it could take a couple days or even months for me to feel better. He said I could try to do some low impact exercise, and just pay attention to my body (and not do anything that hurt). Not exactly what you want to hear when you’re a group fitness instructor, or even just an active person, in general.

This all reminds me of a great post my friend Katie wrote recently called “And Everything Changes(click to view full post). I think this sums up nicely how I relate to it given my current situation:

Whether you’re having a great day (or week or month or year) or a terrible one, it can all change in an instant. In one breath your world can turn upside down, for better or for worse. There’s really no stopping that. Breath and everything changes.

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One minute, I’m dancing all day every day at Zumba Convention

…and the next, I’m benched. :(

I think the worst part isn’t being injured…it’s not knowing when I’ll be better and if I’ll ever be completely back to my former self. On the one hand, I’m frustrated with being injured, but on the other, I’m also extremely thankful that things didn’t turn out worse, because they can always be worse.

But, I think I can use Katie’s other point going forward:

When things are bad, we can focus on our breath to move us through. By the end of it all, not only will the bad situation have changed to good but we ourselves will be transformed, too. In yoga you breathe through a tough posture and end up stronger and more flexible. In life you breathe through tough times and end up stronger and more flexible. Amazing how that works. Breathe and everything changes.

For now (and for the past couple weeks), I’m trying to focus on:

  • Resting – my life a couple weeks ago was non-stop, so taking sometime to relax is probably good for me. It’s nice to not constantly be rushing from one thing, to the next, to the next, and the next. I really think sometimes God has his way of saying, “Hey, take it easy…relax a bit.”
  • Changing my perspective/attitude – I’ve had plenty of my frustrations in recent months, but I’m currently trying to look at all my situations objectively. Should I be upset with the things I’m upset with or am I being ungrateful or unreasonable? I’m starting to think that a more positive attitude can take me further than I originally expected, even in the most frustrating of times.
  • Eating well – I don’t know what to do to make myself feel better, so I’m doing the only thing I really know – eating well. Mostly, I’m trying to eat anti-inflammatory and healthy eats. Green Monster smoothies = my new BFF.

I’m trying to turn this into something positive, too:

  • With my newly found “free time”, I’m trying to get organized (maybe a Project Organization for August? ;) ).
  • I’m trying to live more stress-free. I figure the stress won’t help me recover, so I’m working on not letting stress get to me.
  • I’m taking more deep breaths.
  • I’m watching Zumba videos – my company has recorded some new choreo, so while I can’t do it all-out, I can still learn it for when I make my triumphant return (hopefully sooner than later)
  • I’m spending more QT with hubby and Bailey.
  • I’m thinking about things, and I mean really thinking about what’s important – family, friends, and how to develop those relationships better.
  • I guess overall, I’m sitting back, re-evaluating, and trying to approach things in a more positive light.

And if I can get one message to you, it’s that if you are healthy and able to exercise, then work it baby! Work it for all you’ve got! I remember in my early twenties, before finding an exercise I actually liked, I’d moan and groan about going to the gym, practically dragging myself there. I didn’t recognize and appreciate my good health and ability to work out. To have your health is a true blessing! It isn’t until you have something like your ability to work out taken away that you realize what a blessing it was before. So, if you can do it, appreciate and utilize that blessing. Do it for me, kay? ;)

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And for me – perhaps my new mantra will be “Just Breathe”? I’ve always liked that quote.

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Reader Questions…

How do you cope with an injury?

What’s your favorite think-positive quote? I’d love to collect a few to reference and use for inspiration. :)

{ 31 comments }

Catching Up? Check out my other Zumba Conference posts here:

And for my foodie friends, I do have some fun recipes coming at you soon! :)

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By the last day of Zumba Convention, my body was feeling pretty tired. I had tried to conserve energy for the last day, but I was slowing down. lol

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My first class of the day was Bollywood!

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I am a big fan of Bollywood and bhangra styles of dance, so I was really looking forward to this one.

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Class was super fun. There was one Bollywood instructor, two bhangra instructors, and 2 ZESs who were helping out with class.

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I especially loved learning about the various hand positions for Bollywood dancing…

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…oh, and this bhangra battle we did to Stronger by Kanye West!

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So fun!

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Great job guys!

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After class, I headed towards the zumbawear shop one last time. Since it was Sunday (the only day the store accepted returns), I hoped I’d find a pair of pants that had sold out in my size by Saturday morning.

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On the way, I passed this impromptu Zumba class in the middle of the convention center.

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Never a dull moment with Zumba peeps! I hope I have more time next time so I can join in.

I did make it to the Zumbawear shop and would you know it…they DID have my size by then! Woohoo!

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On my way back to my last class, I spied yet another impromptu class starting up. I followed from the upper level for a bit because I liked an arm/step combination the lead instructors was doing. Hopefully, I can work it into a new song. :)

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And for my last class of the day – African dance!

The instructors were hilarious and the moves were fun! I think we only have one African-dance song on our song list, so I’d like to see more…maybe with some inspiration from this class? ;)

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We even got to see a video on rhythm.

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Picture time!

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Say cheese.

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After class, I headed back to the hotel. Unfortunately, we had to check out that morning, so I didn’t have a hotel room to go to, but I got my bags from the bell hop and changed into some airport clothes (my new Zumba cropped sweatpants and an over-sized t-shirt). Soon enough, we were in a cab to the airport, and then on a plane to go home. Hubby picked me up at the airport with Bailey. Aww… :)

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Big thanks to Zumba for putting on such an amazing and well-organized event. Nice job guys! I already can’t wait to go to the 2012 convention!!

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Next time on TCL, a SUPER AWESOME announcement! Check back next time for details!! I can’t wait to spill the beans! :) :) :)

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What’s your favorite style of dancing or signature move?

{ 12 comments }

Zumba Convention 2011 {Day 3} – Caribbean Hotness, Master Class, & Pool Time

July 12, 2011

Catching Up? Check out my other Zumba Conference posts here: Day 1 – Shopping & Cafe Tu Tu Tango Day 2 – Fitness Concert & Star Appearances (plus a must-see video!) We stayed out pretty late at the Pitbull concert, but I didn’t let myself sleep in. I was super pumped about heading out to [...]

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Zumba Convention 2011 {Day 2} – Fitness Concert & Star Appearances

July 12, 2011

Day 2 of Zumba Convention started with a bang and ended with one, too. We had special guest appearances by 2 very famous people! Read on to see who I’m talking about… Our second day (click here for the Day 1 post) at Zumba convention was really like our first, since it was the first [...]

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Zumba Convention 2011 {Day 1}

July 11, 2011

So, I guess you’re probably wondering where I’ve been all weekend, eh? Well, I’ve been crazy-busy all weekend long hanging out with 6000 other Zumba instructors at… The Zumba Convention – 2011 in Orlando, FL! I flew in with 3 other Zumba instructors from my company on the first day of the conference – Thursday. [...]

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Busy Doing Life

June 25, 2011

This week has been such a whirlwind but in a totally awesome way, of course! I think I averaged coming home Tuesday – Thursday after 10 pm each night! Phew! That’s right…I left my house around 8:30 am…and got home nearly 14 hours later. Busy means good, though. I have lots of fun stuff ahead. [...]

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