Wedding Planning Zumba Instructor

Hiya fellow food lovers! I hope your weekend was swell. Mine sure was! On Saturday, I went to Zumba instructor training, which was possibly the most exhausting day of my life. I woke up at 5:30, got ready, and had a gigantic breakfast to fuel my long day ahead. 

Looking cute and fitness-y.

Brownie Boatmeal and sliced banana.

 I was beyond full; I thought I wouldn’t want to eat again until Sunday. This meal was also the only one I took a picture of all day. I barely had time to go to the bathroom, much less lay out my food and have a mini photo shoot.

By 7 AM, I was on my way to Clearwater. When I got there, we jumped right into a master class. Holy Sweat! It was definitely the most intense Zumba class I have ever taken. I was soaked in sweat and completely done. Great way to start the day. The training was taught by Jani Roberts, and she was so fantastic!

Zumbaland

Jani teachin' it up.

Instructor and Instructor. :D

Shockingly, after the first lecture, I was already starving again, so I munched a 100 calorie bar to stave off the rumblies.

Another lecture, basic warm up, and basic meringue, and I was famished, yet again. Unfortunately, as I tried to eat my tuna and crackers, cucumbers and carrots, and apple in peace and message my lovey, I was bombarded by some lady trying to tell me her life story. Gah. Whatever happened to people being ok with anti-sociability?

As politely as possible, I continued chatting to my honey and then slinked back to class. Then it happened. Fatigue set it. I’m not sure if it was the early morning or the sickness, but I literally did not have the energy to do anything else full out. I’m pretty sure that I looked like a flailing fish at the back of the class for the rest of the day. In between basic salsa, and basic cumbia, I munch again on some almonds and dried cranberries.

Finally, with certificate in hand and muscles practically paralyzed, I hopped in my car to make the 2 hour trek all the way back home. But first, I scarfed my turkey salad and cantaloupe dinner, which I didn’t photograph due to extreme ravenousness. Then I had some protein cookie bites for dessert.

Shortly after returning home and explaining every detail of my day to my inquisitive mother, this newly licensed Zumba instructor passed out.

I made sure to nix the alarm clock for Sunday morning, and slept until almost 10 AM. When I woke up, I was hungry, obvs.

Blueberry Pancakes

 The rest of the day was spent working on going away party invitations and wedding invitations. I also spoke to my honey about the Big Day for about 2 hours. It’s getting super close, and I’m super excited. Somewhere in between all of the excitement and preparation, I had lunch, copious amounts of Cape Cod potato chips, and dinner.

Turkey sandwich and a pickle.

Squash, mushroom, and onion quiche, and salad beast.

 Invitations go in the mail tomorrow (Monday). This show is on the road, and I can hardly contain myself!  

Christmas Cheer Brings… Dance Revolution??

Happy New Year Everyone! Here's my first post of the 2011:

For the past two years, I have been in South Africa for Christmas, so I figured it would be a good idea to spend my last Christmas before I move with my family. Nothing beats an American Christmas. However, my family’s holiday gatherings are not what you would call the typical or traditional in any sense of the words.

This year, the most festive day of the year started out normal- tranquil and cozy- with baking, a toasty fire, and a beautiful tree.

Mons making deviled eggs.

Jelly-filled cookies

 Then the family began arriving… I had the brilliant idea of having all finger foods instead of a big sit-down dinner (we usually make a gigantic pot of paella). We grazed at the table the whole day, probably consuming way more calories than we would have otherwise. But who cares?

Finger food-ville

 We worked off some of those spinach dip and little sausage calories with a Spanish dance contest that my grandfather concocted.

The day turned into evening, and I decided it was time to speak to my Hot Soccer Player. I emerged from my room I stumbled upon this:

Since an alien abduction is highly unlikely, I’m satisfied with conclusion that there had been a Bollywood invasion. All we needed was a villain emerging from a tree somewhere…

This scene was a result of courtesy Wii Let’s Dance 2. It’s a blast. We danced for 2 more hours after that.

I suppose you could call Thursday night our pre-New Year’s Eve parteezy. Three of my cousins spent the night, and guess what they happened to bring along with them- Let’s Dance 2. We couldn’t help ourselves.

Loving the face on my cuz.

On New Year’s Eve, mom, stepdad, cousins, and I went to the mall, shopped around a little and bought Wii Zumba!

Buy Zumba on Amazon!

 A few of our relations joined us for dinner, and we had some delicious Mexican eats.

Picked over food

Mexican Bean Soup

 Immediately after we ate, we ran straight for the Wii remotes. It was a horrible idea since I felt sick afterward. But it was a total blast. Great way to spend New Year’s Eve. 

Wishing this cookie was my honey.

Obsessing over peanut butter chocolate chip cookies in between songs.

I think this could be a new way of life for the New Year. I am obsessed. A dance revolution has begun.

Walking, Running, Dancing, and Jumping in a Winter Wonderland:Tips for Winter Workouts

Every year, it’s so tempting to just curl up on the couch and eat your life away during the winter. Well, it is for me, at least. But instead of succumbing to my body’s natural desire for fat storage, I have decided to push through this terrible cold front and work out.

Since I didn’t work out on Saturday and Sunday, I knew Monday had to break the streak. It was so cold outside, but I wanted to go for a run. Taking all my skills for staying warm that I gained from my daily article reading, I dressed super warm but still comfortable for my workout.

I was outfitted with a hat, scarf, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, gloves, and sweatpants to brave the 40 degree weather. I did my walk one song, run one song workout. Ok, so maybe it was more like jogging. The wind was blowing against me like a hurricane, but I trudged on. Fifty minutes later, I was glove and scarf free, feeling super energized and loving the winter weather.

Monday night, I went with my grandfather to his ballroom dance class’ annual Christmas party. Very surprisingly, I had a great time, and got a workout out of it! We danced the night away, burning extra calories while staying inside. It was super fun! And quite entertaining.

Posey-pose in front of the tree. Ready for my night on the town.

She's really not Devil dog. I promise.

My and Papi. Cute, huh?

Tuesday’s workout was a combination of things. Since I was in the dancing mood, I did some Zumba. Here are a few of the videos I did:

1. Latin Mix
2. Waka Waka
3. Krazy
4. Calle Ocho

After that, I did Dancer’s Ab Workout.

Apparently, my sister thought it would be funny to take a picture of this...

I followed this up with a few upper body exercises with 5 lb. weights. Once it warmed up to a toasty 29 degrees, I took the poopers for a little walk. I figured, since I wasn't doing any really intense exercising, I could afford a longer workout.

Being in the winter weather does not mean you can’t work out. Now, if you are in 20 degrees or lower weather, you might want to consider some indoor workouts like workout videos or strength training. If you do decided to workout outside, you should:

• Dress in layers- You can always take them off if you get hot!
• Keep your head and hands warm- your blood rushes to your core to keep your organs warm when you're cold. Also, most of the heat escapes through your extremities. 
• Wear reflective/bright clothing- If you are exercising at night, be careful of slippery surfaces and make sure people can see you!
• Keep wearing your sunscreen- Cold does not equal UV free!
• Stay hydrated- It's easy to forget to drink water when you're cold, but this is important!

Here are some non-video or strength training ideas for getting exercise without the getting chilly:

• Have a little dance party- An hour or two of dancing, and you’ve had an awesome workout.
• Dance in your room- Seriously. You might feel dumb, but once you get into it, it’s so fun.
• Jump Rope/Jumping Jacks- Alternate jump rope for 5 minutes and jumping jacks for five for 20-30 minutes. This will work up a sweat and you can even do it in front of the TV!
• Step ups- Find a step in your house and step up and down (like step aerobics) for 30 minutes.
• Stairs- If you have stairs in your house, use them! Go up and down while listening to music.

Don’t use the excuse that it’s cold outside not to work out. There are so many other options that there’s no reason to let your fitness slip!