Wood Stove Workout

Hi all!

Yesterday was a nice and relaxing day after such a busy weekend.  We drove home from the city, and the first thing we did was put on a fire.

I haven’t mentioned it on the bloggie yet, but since Dr. Os is finishing a post-graduate degree, and I am finishing a certification, we moved in with his parents for a few months while we wrap up some school.  It was either this or part-time classes for the next 3 years… so most of our pictures are his parents house. 🙂

Anwyay, after doing some major relaxing, I settled in to do a yoga DVD.  I absolutely love Ana Forrest style yoga, and DVD’s seem to be where it’s at in north Jersey.

I love taking yoga classes up here, but sometimes I need the core-focused yoga.  It’s always good to switch it up and keep your muscles guessing. 🙂

It was really great to practice next to the wood stove, although I am not sure you can tell from the picture that it was on.  Sometimes the flames are a little low. 🙂

This DVD I like to do is a little slow-moving, but that really allows me to get into the poses and open up my tight spots.  Part of it is also an intense core-focused sequence, which I love for working out my inner abdominals.

Next up was some working, dinner with a co-worker, and then what is quickly becoming my new favorite way to workout… Zumba!

I was finally able to make another class with my favorite instructor, Chris SantaMaria.  He is so great- he has such high energy and really teaches some amazing classes.  Although I don’t have any pictures from Zumba, I have one silly one of the baby…

And doesn’t that look comfortable?  Chin resting on table doggie relaxation pose?

Hope you all have a great day! Tomorrow I’ve got running and hopefully some yoga on my plate.  Do you try to plan your workouts ahead of time? I really like to know what classes I plan on attending each week so that I can schedule around them.  I like to make them a priority. 🙂

xxo Stephanie

Gym Date

Hi all!

Happy weekend 🙂

Saturdays are my favorite because I get to work out with friends 🙂

And because this little bugger takes lazy Saturday mornings to a whole new level.

My usual Saturday morning routine is to practice yoga and run with friends.  Today we headed to a free yoga class at our local Lululemon taught by Brenda Blanco.

Our lulu is in a mall.  This makes the free classes especially nice because the mall is empty, and the close parking spots are always open.  Score. 🙂

 

After sweating like maniacs, we decided to check out the inventory.  I wore my favorite new striped socks with my well-loved Uggs, which you can kind of see in this picture.

After trying on and purchasing some adorable yoga gear (more on that later) we headed to the park to put some miles on our shoes. 🙂

Why yes that is another lovely bathroom shot, don’t mind if I do.

It was such a beautiful day for a run, and it was really great to spend some time catching up with the girls.  Big bonus, my one friend surprised us all with super cool running hoods.  Although not the most stylish, I can guarantee you can see me coming from a mile away. 🙂

This will be great for those cold winter runs.  Especially the Super Sunday 4 Miler in February!

Do you have great running gear that you love, although it is not the most fashionable? I am usually one to shy away from crazy stuff like this, but when I am cold, I will wear anything.  Function always wins!

xxo Stephanie

Zumba-ing Love

Hi all!

Today was such a good but busy day.  The best part of my day was Zumba!  And getting to wear these babies.

My new Zumba shoes! I have been taking classes in my regular old running sneakers, and was feeling some knee pain.  After searching high and low for Nike Huarache Dance Low’s (recommended by Fitnessista), I found a similar alternative with the Nike Dunk Low’s.

Dunks have an awesome pivot point at the bottom (is that what it is called?), which reminds me of the Huarache’s and other dance sneakers.

Note to self: Take pictures of soles of shoes before wearing them.

Zumba and I had a rough start a few years ago, and I have always felt like I was not a good enough dancer to participate. Fast-forward to now, I absolutely love it, even though I’m not the most rhythmic.  I think it really depends on the instructor.  And of course the music. 🙂

That’s my favorite Zumba instructor Chris SantaMaria. 🙂 Such a good workout!

For each 1 hour class I take, I drink 2 gigantic Nalgene’s of water.  That is 64 ounces of water!  It is an intense cardiovascular workout.

Class tonight was really great, and the new shoes made such a difference.  No knee pain, and I was actually able to do some of the moves that I hadn’t been able to really execute in the other sneaks.  Although I don’t have any pictures at the studio, I took a couple afterwards at Dr. Os’s wrestling match.

I really just wanted to show off my Dunks 😉

Dr. Os volunteers with the local wrestling team, so I like to go to a few matches to support him… pretend this isn’t a high school bathroom shot.

After wrestling we had our usual post-match dinner date- sushi 🙂 I forgot to take pictures though, so I will instead leave you one of how we found babycakes when we returned home.

His dog bed was left on the recliner while we were cleaning, so he hopped up and  improvised. 🙂

Ever have any “usual” dates you take with your significant others? I automatically associate sushi with wrestling because of our usual date nights.

Have a great night!

xxo Stephanie

Juice-ified

Hi All!

Sorry for the delay in this post today.  I had a super busy day and had planned to blog at Starbucks, but their internet was down 😦  It’s okay, we’re just rolling with the punches over here 🙂  Here is my post from this am:

First thing first, Dr. Os snapped a picture of me and my little love bug sleeping this morning… I think he’s actually a human trapped in a dog body. 🙂

When I woke up I had an amazing surprise waiting for me on my doorstep.

My juicer!

I have been searching for one for awhile, and when I finally found this one on Amazon on sale, I knew I needed to order it.  I scrounged around the fridge and figured I’d try my hand at my first juice.  This was definitely my favorite combo- it was so unbelievably fresh.

1 large lemon, 2 small granny smith apples, and 1 large english cucumber

This was the first morning I didn’t drink any coffee either.  It is amazing how energizing fresh juice can be. 🙂

I’m off to Starbucks to get some grading done, and then heading to my first Pilates Reformer class.

Ever taken a Pilates Reformer class before?  Did you like it? I am usually a yoga girl, but my gym is offering a few free specialty classes this week.  I am excited to try something new and work out some new muscles.

xxo Stephanie

Hunting for Food

Found this little baby hunting for his share of breakfast today…

He has an uncanny ability to sneak up on the table when no one is around, and then get himself stuck up there.  Oh hey mama, could I get a hand?

Feeling so much better today, it’s amazing what a few days of rest and some medicine can do.

I’m a big fan of running local 5k and 10k races, and am feeling sad that my next one isn’t until February.  Since it is so cold here in Jersey, I am spending some quality time with a treadmill to do my training.  Using this photo as inspiration for my treadmill run today:

That’s me, running in Vibrams, my shoe of choice in the warmer months of the year.

What is your favorite treadmill workout to do? I like to just run straight miles at a steady pace, faster than my outdoor pace.  Hoping to run 4 today.  I usually listen to 55 Top Hits- Workout Mixes because the BPM is very steady.

Have a great day!

xxo Stephanie

Lazy Dog Day

Hi all,

What a crazy morning. Decided to sleep in and snuggle the pupsicle.  I love vacation days 🙂

Start-up to the little blog is moving kind of slow.  Figuring out domain name and what platform to use on my Mac has been time consuming.  If anyone has any suggestions, I would gladly appreciate them 🙂

Enjoying a nice Nespresso latte with frothed skim milk while I figure out how to navigate the blogging waters.  What do you drink in the morning? I am usually an iced almond milk latte kind of girl, but cold winter mornings usually mean breaking out the frother 🙂

xxo Stephanie

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Goals 2012

Hi!  Starting off the new year with a cold is no fun 😦

However, snuggling my pup while sick is a pretty okay way to spend the day 🙂

Since it is the start of a new year, and the start of a good year for me, I thought it would be fun to post my list of goals for the year.  This year I will be finishing a second (and last) degree, getting married, and Dr. Os (the fiancé) will finish nursing school.  Of course, a lot can happen in a year, but all seems good on the horizon ❤

2012 Goals

Personal

Spend more time snuggling Achilles- being in school full-time, teaching, working, working out, etc. leaves little time for my little baby.  Of course, he lives in a house full of people who love him, but I want to make sure I give him more love myself.

Continue to save $$$ as best as I can.  And remind myself frequently that paying for classes are an investment in myself… and repeat.

Read more books from my professional library.

Professional

Finish the degree- and dance around like a maniac when I finish 🙂

Full-time job of my dreams by July 2012

Teaching yoga classes by December 2012

Health

Yoga 4x a week

Vitamins daily

Run at least 1 1/2 marathon by June 2012

More fruits and veggies, less sweets 🙂

What are your goals for 2012? As I’ve seen on lots of blogs, like Fitnessista, Inspiration Boards are a good way to visually remind yourself of your goals.  Look out for a posting of my board in the next few days.

xxo Stephanie

 

Welcome!

Welcome to my little blog.  This is where I will be sharing  all stuff that interests me.  Working out, shopping, yoga, running, my pupsicle Achilles, and my main squeeze Dr. Os (my fiancé).  What better way to start the new year than with a new blog? 🙂

Thanks for stopping by, look for new posts soon.

xxo Stephanie