In case you haven't heard, we are moving to Tallahassee, Florida. We took a break from prepping our house to sell and I had Aria sitting in my lap. She was being very "talkative," so I decided to have some fun with her. This is what we got...
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Group Power Personal Launch
A couple of months ago, I was asked by the Group Fitness Coordinator at Bob's Gym if I was interested in taking a weekend long training for Group Power. Like Group Kick (which I trained for back in January), it is offered by Body Training Systems. Whereas Group Kick is more cardio focused, Group Power concentrates on strength through muscle endurance.
I had taken the class numerous time and found it easy to pick up, but instructing it is always a different beast. Additionally, I was a little hesitant not knowing what my job situation would be in the next month or so. If I move to an area that doesn't offer Group Power, I would be screwed.
In the end, I was glad I took the class. I was able to clean some bad technique, as well learned how far I could push myself with weights on the bar.
After the training finished, I had three months to teach a class (with at least 5 people in the room) and record myself. I challenged myself to get in done in three weeks.
Instead of scheduling my own class during an open space of time at the gym, one of the current instructors let me utilize her class. In addition to the regulars who attend that particular class, I was able to bring some friends and had close to 20 people. There is something about having a packed room, as opposed to the required minimum.
I tried something different and pre-set the room in "theater style" with the benches circling the center area, instead of people putting their benches in rows. With the amount of equipment and space we had available, we fit the room nicely.
Below are the ten tracks divided up into five videos. The routines are far from perfect. In fact I have one track where I put on too much weight and completely fell apart (see Track Eight: Shoulders). Here are the videos....enjoy!
Tracks 1/2: Warm-Up and Legs
Tracks 3/4: Chest and Back & Legs
Tracks 5/6: Tricpes and Biceps
Tracks 7/8: "More Legs" and Shoulders
Tracks 9/10: Core and Cool Down
I had taken the class numerous time and found it easy to pick up, but instructing it is always a different beast. Additionally, I was a little hesitant not knowing what my job situation would be in the next month or so. If I move to an area that doesn't offer Group Power, I would be screwed.
In the end, I was glad I took the class. I was able to clean some bad technique, as well learned how far I could push myself with weights on the bar.
After the training finished, I had three months to teach a class (with at least 5 people in the room) and record myself. I challenged myself to get in done in three weeks.
Instead of scheduling my own class during an open space of time at the gym, one of the current instructors let me utilize her class. In addition to the regulars who attend that particular class, I was able to bring some friends and had close to 20 people. There is something about having a packed room, as opposed to the required minimum.
I tried something different and pre-set the room in "theater style" with the benches circling the center area, instead of people putting their benches in rows. With the amount of equipment and space we had available, we fit the room nicely.
Below are the ten tracks divided up into five videos. The routines are far from perfect. In fact I have one track where I put on too much weight and completely fell apart (see Track Eight: Shoulders). Here are the videos....enjoy!
Tracks 1/2: Warm-Up and Legs
Tracks 3/4: Chest and Back & Legs
Tracks 5/6: Tricpes and Biceps
Tracks 7/8: "More Legs" and Shoulders
Tracks 9/10: Core and Cool Down
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Group Power: What Did You Do This Weekend?
Starting on Friday, I took on the challenge of a weekend long training seminar for Group Power. Like Group Kick (which I took in February), this is an hour-long program through Body Training Systems that focuses on strength. It is a low weight, high repetition workout that focuses on every major muscle group in the body and works it hard.
We had a class of eight participants. Five were from Bob's Gym, two came from a gym in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and one person drove in from Cincinnati. We had the same trainer who handled my Group Kick training and it was nice to share some stories of my class experience with that program.
to get an idea of what I am getting myself into, here is a trailer of the July 2011 Group Power release:
Over the course of the weekend, I was responsible for learning two tracks. The first track focused on legs (squats) and the second on chest (flys and push-ups). The instructor recorded our routine to do a group assessment of correct technique and some stuff that looked simply painful. It was good to see those things are correct them as we worked over the weekend.
Probably the hardest session occurred on Sunday. It was a "team training" session that challenged us with a high weight/high rep workout. We started with a 12-minute cardio workout (run, cycling, etc.). We were paired up and did the following exercises:
Round One
25 Chest Presses
7 Deadrow (3 sets)
Round Two
15 Clean and Presses
10 Lunges (each leg)
Round Three
15 Bicep Curls
15 Tricep Extensions
Each round was 12 minutes long with you and your partner rotating as lifter or spotter during each round. You just kept rotating until the time ended. My partner and I got in about four full rotations in each of the 12-minute rounds.
My legs and shoulders are pretty burned out right now and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I have the gusto to pull of my Kick class tomorrow morning. Despite how I feel, it was all worth it. I'll keep you posted on my progress to getting certified.
We had a class of eight participants. Five were from Bob's Gym, two came from a gym in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and one person drove in from Cincinnati. We had the same trainer who handled my Group Kick training and it was nice to share some stories of my class experience with that program.
to get an idea of what I am getting myself into, here is a trailer of the July 2011 Group Power release:
Over the course of the weekend, I was responsible for learning two tracks. The first track focused on legs (squats) and the second on chest (flys and push-ups). The instructor recorded our routine to do a group assessment of correct technique and some stuff that looked simply painful. It was good to see those things are correct them as we worked over the weekend.
Probably the hardest session occurred on Sunday. It was a "team training" session that challenged us with a high weight/high rep workout. We started with a 12-minute cardio workout (run, cycling, etc.). We were paired up and did the following exercises:
Round One
25 Chest Presses
7 Deadrow (3 sets)
Round Two
15 Clean and Presses
10 Lunges (each leg)
Round Three
15 Bicep Curls
15 Tricep Extensions
Each round was 12 minutes long with you and your partner rotating as lifter or spotter during each round. You just kept rotating until the time ended. My partner and I got in about four full rotations in each of the 12-minute rounds.
My legs and shoulders are pretty burned out right now and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I have the gusto to pull of my Kick class tomorrow morning. Despite how I feel, it was all worth it. I'll keep you posted on my progress to getting certified.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Aria Rolls Over
Leandra was up early with Aria on Sunday morning. After feeding her, Aria was put on a blanket in the living room and Leandra started recording a little video on her iPhone to say "Hi" to the family. Luckily, she caught something pretty cool...
At 8 weeks, I don't expect her to be rolling over on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, she hasn't really found it enjoyable to laying down for prolonged periods of time (on her stomach or her back).
We'll just enjoy it the moment.
At 8 weeks, I don't expect her to be rolling over on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, she hasn't really found it enjoyable to laying down for prolonged periods of time (on her stomach or her back).
We'll just enjoy it the moment.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
My Idea for MLB Realignment
This posting has nothing to do with my current residence in Evansville, but this is a topic that I have always found interesting: MLB realignment. I have always been a fan of having two 15-team divisions.
A few years ago, I created what I thought would be the best divisional line-up. I don't recall what I said back then, so i decided to give it a fresh take. My only rule was to ensure that each teams had their "natural rivals" and, in some cases, some teams moved divisions...and even leagues.
Here it goes:
American League/National League
EAST DIVISION
NY Yankees / NY Mets
Tampa / Florida
Baltimore / Washington
Pittsburgh / Philadelphia &&&
Boston / Atlanta ***
CENTRAL DIVISION
Chi. White Sox / Chi Cubs
Minnesota / Milwaukee
Kansas City / St. Louis
Cleveland / Cincinnati
Toronto / Detroit @@@
WEST DIVISION
LA Angels / LA Dodgers
Arizona / San Diego ^^^
Seattle / Colorado
Oakland / San Francisco
Texas / Houston ###
The most important thing I had to do was move one team from the National League to American League. I did that by moving Pittsburgh to the AL East from the NL Central (&&&). Why Pittsburgh? I think the same state rivialry with Philadelphia (ie: St. Louis/Kansas City, Florida/Tampa, etc.) is more intriguing.
Of course this put one too many teams in the AL East. In a bit of a controversial move, I decided that Toronto should move to the AL Central and Detroit should move to the NL Central (@@@). I felt that movign them and putting them in alternate league would make them natural rivals. Toronto has been screwed since Montreal left town and Detroit is the next logical choice to me. Of course, these two teams are interchangeable so either of them could move to the NL with the other staying the AL.
We still have six teams in the NL Central, so we are moving Houston to the NL West (###), maintaining the natural rivalry with the Texas Rangers, but keeping balance within the divisions. The final piece of the puzzle is moving one team from the NL West to AL West. The team is Arizona (^^^). They are the newest team in MLB and sets up the rivalry with San Diego.
The only major problem is this realignment moves the Philadelphia/Boston rivalry ***. The only two teams that no longer have teams close to them are Boston and Atlanta. By pairing them as rivals, MLB can play up the fact that the Atlanta Braves originally started as the Boston Braves. I know its a stretch, but its the only thing I couls make work.
So what do you think?
A few years ago, I created what I thought would be the best divisional line-up. I don't recall what I said back then, so i decided to give it a fresh take. My only rule was to ensure that each teams had their "natural rivals" and, in some cases, some teams moved divisions...and even leagues.
Here it goes:
American League/National League
EAST DIVISION
NY Yankees / NY Mets
Tampa / Florida
Baltimore / Washington
Pittsburgh / Philadelphia &&&
Boston / Atlanta ***
CENTRAL DIVISION
Chi. White Sox / Chi Cubs
Minnesota / Milwaukee
Kansas City / St. Louis
Cleveland / Cincinnati
Toronto / Detroit @@@
WEST DIVISION
LA Angels / LA Dodgers
Arizona / San Diego ^^^
Seattle / Colorado
Oakland / San Francisco
Texas / Houston ###
The most important thing I had to do was move one team from the National League to American League. I did that by moving Pittsburgh to the AL East from the NL Central (&&&). Why Pittsburgh? I think the same state rivialry with Philadelphia (ie: St. Louis/Kansas City, Florida/Tampa, etc.) is more intriguing.
Of course this put one too many teams in the AL East. In a bit of a controversial move, I decided that Toronto should move to the AL Central and Detroit should move to the NL Central (@@@). I felt that movign them and putting them in alternate league would make them natural rivals. Toronto has been screwed since Montreal left town and Detroit is the next logical choice to me. Of course, these two teams are interchangeable so either of them could move to the NL with the other staying the AL.
We still have six teams in the NL Central, so we are moving Houston to the NL West (###), maintaining the natural rivalry with the Texas Rangers, but keeping balance within the divisions. The final piece of the puzzle is moving one team from the NL West to AL West. The team is Arizona (^^^). They are the newest team in MLB and sets up the rivalry with San Diego.
The only major problem is this realignment moves the Philadelphia/Boston rivalry ***. The only two teams that no longer have teams close to them are Boston and Atlanta. By pairing them as rivals, MLB can play up the fact that the Atlanta Braves originally started as the Boston Braves. I know its a stretch, but its the only thing I couls make work.
So what do you think?
Monday, July 4, 2011
Morning of Smiles
I was brought out of sleep this morning when I heard Aria moving around in bed. She wasn't crying so I was hoping she would fall back asleep. A few minutes went by and I then I heard a little "diaper pop." It was then that I found that Leandra was awake because she said that it didn't sound too bad and that we could get take care of her diaper in a little bit (in other words, we were really tired).
After I heard two more "pops," I decided that I needed to take care of the diaper and I'm glad I did. The diaper was on the verge of what I refer to as a "global crisis," so getting that off of her likely saved us a headache for later on. More importantly, it got me this video clip of a very happy baby on the changing table:
(If you click on the picture, you can will go to the YouTube page for a bigger screen size.)
This is the first time I have been able to get video of her smiling and even giving a very brief giggle. Every other time I have tried to record her smiling, I never have my camera or iPhone close by and by the time I get it, she is no longer in the mood.
The other amazing thing about the timing is the fact that she is generally calm. Usually she wakes up and is crying because she's hungry. We think she's been through a growth spurt right now because she is constantly wanting to eat and has been attached at the "hip" to her mother (you know what I mean...ahem, ahem). Getting her in a brief period of time where she was content and smiling was well worth the 6:00 am wake-up call.
After I heard two more "pops," I decided that I needed to take care of the diaper and I'm glad I did. The diaper was on the verge of what I refer to as a "global crisis," so getting that off of her likely saved us a headache for later on. More importantly, it got me this video clip of a very happy baby on the changing table:
(If you click on the picture, you can will go to the YouTube page for a bigger screen size.)
This is the first time I have been able to get video of her smiling and even giving a very brief giggle. Every other time I have tried to record her smiling, I never have my camera or iPhone close by and by the time I get it, she is no longer in the mood.
The other amazing thing about the timing is the fact that she is generally calm. Usually she wakes up and is crying because she's hungry. We think she's been through a growth spurt right now because she is constantly wanting to eat and has been attached at the "hip" to her mother (you know what I mean...ahem, ahem). Getting her in a brief period of time where she was content and smiling was well worth the 6:00 am wake-up call.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Visit by the Plutas
We had a very productive weekend which was mostly accomplished through a visit by the Plutas, a family friend from Wisconsin. Matt, Barb and their son Adam came drove down Thursday and stayed through Sunday.
I threw out the idea to them about coming down for a visit...and since Matt likes stuff to do, I put together a list of projects where I needed an extra hand or needed his expertise and equipment.
Since Leandra had to work on Friday and Saturday, Barb and Adam played a big hand in keeping an eye on Aria while Matt and I were taking care of projects. Here is what we finished (for the most part):
- Picked up and installed a new dishwasher. Delivered the old dishwasher to a salvage yard. (The old dishwasher needed $200 in repairs and we opted to spend the extra money for a new one. At least we would have a new appliance in the house if we moved.)
- Addressed a leak in the roof. We had a downpour the day after we patched it up so I'm hoping that everything is fixed.
- Fixed the recoil on a chainsaw (three times!) and cut down part of a birch tree in my front yard that was dead, as well as cut and move the logs and branches.
- Cut and installed trim in the upstairs bathroom and downstairs living room. (We ran out of trim so I am going to have to finish up a small bit later on.
- Did some yardwork, mostly weeding my garden and putting some mulch down where it was getting low.
This may not seem like a lot, but these were pretty time consuming projects. Along with some general errands that needed to be run, our time was maximized for most of the weekend.
I can't say how much I appreciate their help. By myself, I would have been gettign things done through the process of trial and error...with an emphasis on "ERROR." Throwing my daughter into the mix would have had me wokring to get these done in small bits. With Barb and Adam watching over Aria, Matt and I were able to plow through each of these tasks.
We did make sure to have some fun over the weekend. On Saturday night, we drove out to Bosse Field out to watch an Evansville Otters baseball game. While Leandra and I have been to a couple of games over the years, it was the first for the Plutas...and Aria. Luckily for us, they won.
I threw out the idea to them about coming down for a visit...and since Matt likes stuff to do, I put together a list of projects where I needed an extra hand or needed his expertise and equipment.
Since Leandra had to work on Friday and Saturday, Barb and Adam played a big hand in keeping an eye on Aria while Matt and I were taking care of projects. Here is what we finished (for the most part):
- Picked up and installed a new dishwasher. Delivered the old dishwasher to a salvage yard. (The old dishwasher needed $200 in repairs and we opted to spend the extra money for a new one. At least we would have a new appliance in the house if we moved.)
- Addressed a leak in the roof. We had a downpour the day after we patched it up so I'm hoping that everything is fixed.
- Fixed the recoil on a chainsaw (three times!) and cut down part of a birch tree in my front yard that was dead, as well as cut and move the logs and branches.
- Cut and installed trim in the upstairs bathroom and downstairs living room. (We ran out of trim so I am going to have to finish up a small bit later on.
- Did some yardwork, mostly weeding my garden and putting some mulch down where it was getting low.
This may not seem like a lot, but these were pretty time consuming projects. Along with some general errands that needed to be run, our time was maximized for most of the weekend.
I can't say how much I appreciate their help. By myself, I would have been gettign things done through the process of trial and error...with an emphasis on "ERROR." Throwing my daughter into the mix would have had me wokring to get these done in small bits. With Barb and Adam watching over Aria, Matt and I were able to plow through each of these tasks.
We did make sure to have some fun over the weekend. On Saturday night, we drove out to Bosse Field out to watch an Evansville Otters baseball game. While Leandra and I have been to a couple of games over the years, it was the first for the Plutas...and Aria. Luckily for us, they won.
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