ClassPass Two-a-Days

Daily Doubles with ClassPass last week, how'd that go? 

Taking two classes per day might sound impossible. It's certainly not "easy" but it's a break in my workday commute, it's an escape from a long day, it's a morning pick-me-up or it's a moment to decompress my head and heart. It's also a chance to get inverted in the aerial silks. 

Last week I set out for a goal of daily doubles and here's some of the fun I got into. 

I found myself front-loading the week with tough muscle things that made me sweat and squat and work. These hard work classes always give me that happy sweat, but the movements are always so new in the barre and drum classes that my muscles are yelling at me to stretch them out as soon as I work them out. 

Thankfully with ClassPass in Portland there are just as many - and maybe more - ways to get that deep sleepytime stretch or enjoy the playfulness in an aerial hammock.  There's a hundred opportunities per day to get on my yoga mat and many others to grab a foam roll or a tennis ball for some tasty myofascial release. Literally, one hundred chances. There's actually close to 1,000 classes available on any given day through just 122 studios available to me in the Portland area. 

Tuesday

PDX Results Fitness - TRX (5-6pm)

:: A fun and sweaty workout with a friendly crew of ladies who knew their way around the TRX straps and kettlebells. 

PulsePDX - Pound! (7-7:45pm)

:: My beloved drum class that I've taken three times every month. This was the 2nd time I made it on stage!

Wednesday

Pure Barre Portland - Pure Barre (4-5pm)

:: Pure Barre, you are the toughest barre workout in Portland. With Firebarre at Firebrand in a very close second. 

Hush Meditation - Love (5:30-6:15pm)

:: Meditation after a humbling barre class is the cherry on top. This was real life meditation. The class was small and intimate. We were all joined together in a room, but took separate loving journeys that eased our souls for the remainder of the evening. 

Thursday

YAS Fitness Center - YAS Spin (6:15-7am)

:: I go in and out of mornings being my "thing". I made this reservation two days prior so I was not going to wuss out of the 6:15am time. I packed a work bag like a big girl and conquered the morning studio sweat. 

Pil-oga-robic - Air Yogalates (7:30-8:30pm)

:: Earliest morning and latest night, but all was worth it because Dayna was a ball of energy who gave us all the confidence and grace to get upside down and have some fun in the hammocks. This class is taught at two different studios in the Portland area (by the same instructor) which means I'll be back. 

Friday

Yoga Bhoga - Restorative (3:30-5pm)

:: One of my new favorite all time things. This is 90 minutes of blissful upstairs sun-beaming through the windows magic. With all the props and blocks and bolsters a weary yogi could need, always ending with legs up the wall as my chosen shavasana. 

Pil-oga-robic - Stretching & Roller (5:30-6pm)

:: Immediately after restorative put me to sleep I found a nearby favorite studio with a foam roll and stretch class that had me in, out and flexy even before the Friday evening traffic subsided. 

After all of this weekday fun, there were way more plans for weekend classes. I mean way more. Like gym time, more yoga, more stretching, more barre, maybe some hot yoga but more likely maybe not. Then you all know that my weekend was instead spent with my amazing family and getting acquainted with my new baby girl. 

Humpday Confessions #6

Yes, yes, yes, yes - yes! 

My favorite day is here and it's going to be a good one. Today is my busiest work day of the month and I don't even care. I have to give major thanks to shark week for finally getting off of the first-of-the-month cycle because it always added a lot of extra stress to my busy week. 

Enough chatter about the punctuation mark that ends a sentence, you came here to read my confessions for the week. You're lucky, there's some good ones.

+ I secretly loved all of the compliments on yesterday's beauty post I tried to write as both a review for influenster and a joke. I was even more thrilled to hear several other ladies (1, 2, #3 is a secret still) pursuing their own passion in beauty. Can't wait to subscribe to all of the YouTube channels and learn tips from the professionals!

+ I finally watched Frozen. Alone. On a Friday night. And fell asleep during the climactic ending. Then re-watched the ending half-awake. But I liked it! Got something to say about it?

+ In my hip hop dance class, THIS SONG is my jam. Yesterday I literally rode around the room through all of the other sweaty ladies on my imaginary pony when it started because the teacher hadn't played it in two consecutive classes. I thought it said "Shake that thick chocolate" at the chorus and even though it doesn't, I still sing it that way. Gawd I love it. Dance party much?

+ I am ready to reveal something pretty exciting tomorrow that was incubated and born this week in just one day. I'm having a tough time being patient with this and have been working like crazy to get everything ready. I guess this was a pretty bad confession, wasn't it? Okay here's a sneak peek for those of you who are reading. Can't wait to reveal tomorrow! 

+ Have I done enough to distract you today? Good! My work is done here.

Keep spilling your dirt, I can't wait to read!

Linking up with my favorite kick-in-the-pants: Vodka and Soda

Graceful...?

It's a little ironic that I had plans to talk to day about my new dance class and how graceful it's making me feel. 

Ironic because last night I had a near-fall-on-my face treadmill experience (in the privacy of my own home thank everything I can give thanks to) and I live to tell the tale. It's not the first time the near-fall has happened and it's always when I'm screwing around on my phone. This time I was replying to an email and trying to simultaneously speed/dance/jazzercise walk to this jamsky:

I could watch this gif over and over. A fail of epic proportions - sandals in the air and all! 

Okay, enough self-ridicule. I really do feel more graceful after just two dance classes. It helped that the routine was exactly the same as last time, so my body anticipated moves so much better and I was able to put some of my own sass and spin on some of the moves. I'm known to take things to another level, but for now I'm in the back of the class and just trying to get a great workout.

apparently there's another class today that we are going to make and I'm nervous because it's actual Zumba and not "Group Groove" as I've been going to. I need a little more salsa in my step. Or I really hope its like this. Fergie eat your heart out.

The best things about going to dance class are:

:: Taking the time out of the routine day to get my sweat in
:: Taking a class with co-workers, team bonding 101
:: Coming back to the desk and demonstrating my best booty pop to the people who didn't go.
:: Practicing the moves you've learned in the comfort of your own home.
:: Walking a little taller, shoulders broad and chin up
:: Playful sense about yourself, especially when it comes to music

And I'm going to keep talking about it till I'm blue in the face - it feels great to switch my fitness from running only to weight lifting and graceful dancing (and twerking).

It's almost the weekend! What are you up to?

Thoughts on Christmas Lights?

Want to know why I feel like I have my life together?

Last night when I drove home from work I saw a neighbor with their Christmas lights on outside of the house. I'm cool with leaving them for 1 or 2 weeks after Christmas, you know like when you've already given up on your New Year's Resolutions? But not the first week into February! I suppose it did snow here for maybe 5 minutes yesterday but find something a little more seasonally appropriate than Rudolph grazing in the front yard.

Now I'm all about the whimsical idea of lights on the inside year-round, especially to set the mood for blogging and sleeping. See, look. February 4th and I'm still sleeping under all of the pretty red lights!

I'm embarrassed to share how many photos I took to get that one. Weird hands, weird hair, weird all the things. 

Speaking of a great segue lights and awkward photos, on Friday I had to go under some other lights in a chair at the dentist's office and for my very first (and please oh please my wallet begs my last) root canal. Now what's worse than a root canal? I'd argue a lot of things, actually. Tripping in public, 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife, being too full for dessert on a dinner date when somebody else is paying.

You're lucky you get to see this photo and I don't even know why I'm sharing this to exist on the internet forever. This is better for a snapchat but I wasn't that clever. What's wrong with it? Look at my collar! I didn't have time to steam my shirt and I wasn't planning on being out in public much for the afternoon.

No but seriously, my face. Who hit it with a skillet? 

That's the smile of a girl who was $650 poorer after her appointment and just a few hours away from the numbness wearing off. Worst part about it? I had to miss the Friday session of my new favorite workout class and I can't wait to get back at it today! 

That's all I've got. I skipped TED Tuesday because my brain doesn't want to get too serious. Thank you for all of the love and support yesterday - I really love the person I'm becoming. 

Prepare yourself for some'a this and some'a that! (hair and wardrobe not included)