Showing posts with label Porter Ranch YMCA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Porter Ranch YMCA. Show all posts

Monday, March 23, 2009

You Lucky Devil, You!

I'm not a huge fan of the hamburger.  If asked, I'd choose a veggie patty over cow meat any day.  I'm definitely not a vegetarian, although I only opt for the beef when I'm at a barbecue.  Is that weird?  I think it's a little strange.  So when my date (he wanted to be in the picture) suggested Lucky Devils in Hollywood, hyping it up along with LA's gourmet burger craze, I gave in.  He did such a good job at selling the beef that I passed on the veggie patty and scarfed down the Lucky Burger, sans cheese.  We also had Caesar salad, mac n' cheese, sweet potato fries and regular fries.  Hey, don't judge, we didn't eat until 10:30...we were hungry!  I was pleasantly surprised with everything we ordered, although the mac n' cheese wasn't nearly as delicious as my aunt Sherry's.  Decent selection of wine and a vast selection of beer (tons on tap).  A great place to try if you are out and about in Hollywood.  

Saturday night, I ventured to the Hollywood Improv, a seemingly unlikely place to just grab an after dinner drink.  I've only been there for shows, so little did I know I would spend the night schmoozing amongst some of the freshest faces in comedy, like Nick Swardson and Owen Benjamin.  Lucky for me and my obsession with famous people, my date (re: picture above) and his brother are good friends with Nick Swardson.  This guy is hilarious!  He's most commonly known for his roles in "Grandma's Boy" and, my personal fave, "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry."  We hung out with him the whole night and he even picked up our tab.  So nice!  The bar gets pretty crowded, filling with comedians and their cliques, and you don't need to pay the cover charge if you say you are just going for drinks.  If you're sly, you can slip into a show while the bouncer's not looking.  Don't blame the Hip Chick if you get caught.  

So I'm starting this new diet, if you even want to call it a diet.  I'm basically limiting the crap in my food bank and increasing my intake of veggies and fruit.  As noted in previous posts, I balance my eating with intense, five-day-a-week workouts and, although I'm fierce, I'm still not at my goal weight.  I think that's a flaw one inherits as a woman, or perhaps I'm just too damn hard on myself.  Fortunately, my cousin's fiancee is a nutritionist and she's whipping me into shape on the food front.

Before my exciting trip to Ralphs to revamp my fridge, I hit up the YMCA for my oh-so-favorite Turbo Kick class.  Today, Corrine busted out Round 35, a round completely foreign to my Turbo Kick repertoire.  I have to say, though, this is quite possibly my favorite round to date.  Good music, fun moves, an ass kicking turbo section, and "wicked" final section that will pump anyone up.  If you click on the link for "turbo section," the instructor, Nolan, is the one I loved at the Irvine 24 Hour.  When you click on the "final section" link, be sure to check out the lady in pink.  Most people start off looking uncoordinated like that, although once you understand how Turbo Kick works, you'll begin to look and feel like a pro.  Sadly, though,  some people look like fools no matter how many times they go.  If you lack any shred of coordination, I'm sorry to say, my friends, that Turbo Kick isn't for you.  I mean, you can try it, although don't be surprised if someone (ahem, me) side-kicks you as you move in the opposite direction.  

Day One of Operation Detox is coming to a close and I'm still under by 353 calories.  Not bad, eh?  Let's hope I can keep it up!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Burn, Baby, Burn!



I am in the gym, on a treadmill, or canoodling with Marjolein Brugman on our AeroPilates machine at least five days a week.  Last night, after picking apart a rather nasty shrimp burrito from Poquito Mas (ugh too many giant tomato chunks in the salsa), I decided to go for a 30-minute bounce on the AeroPilates rebounder my aunt and uncle have in the guest room.  The rebounder is basically a mini trampoline and you bounce on it lying down.  Sounds strange, but it works.  I thought, "Okay, it's my sixth day working out this week, I can take it easy."  Wowie zowie.  30 minutes on that machine works your thighs to the point where you have to support yourself when you sit down to pee (yes, gents, I know some of you do that too).  Despite my burnt out thighs and being the nut case that I am, I decided this morning to go to my all time favorite workout class: Turbo Kick with Corrine at the Porter Ranch YMCA.  

Turbo Kick is a one hour, choreographed kickboxing workout that is broken into intervals with "sprints" about halfway through the hour.  Don't expect to drop down on mats for 10 mins of ab work at the end of class (unless you do the Turbo Sport round).  Turbo Kick works your core in each move you do.  The workout also comes in rounds, so you may do Round 25 for a couple of weeks, then switch to Round 32, then switch to Turbo Sport.  It all depends on the instructor.  It's overwhelming at first, but the more you go the more familiar you become with it.  So if you like good music and a highly intense cardiovascular workout, try this class!  Corrine is a machine.  I don't think she has an ounce of fat on her body.  She's an amazing instructor and the head of all the instructors at the Porter Ranch YMCA.  I started Turbo Kick just over a year ago and thought I was out of my mind to take such a nutty class.  Now, I hate to miss it.

When it comes to workout classes, I am very particular about my instructors.  I grow incredibly frustrated when an instructor can't keep the beat of the music or criticizes my punches when I know I've trained enough to get them right.  One such case occurred at the WeHo 24 Hour Fitness with an instructor named Anthony (no pseudonyms, bitches.  You gotta know when your class is jacked.).  Somehow I showed up on a day when there were only three people in attendance, myself included.  Lucky me.  Anthony kept yelling, "Your wrist should face up when you jab!  I've had years of rotator cuff surgery from punching wrong and you don't want the same!"  Excuse me, Anthony, but did I hear, above that lissssp, that my jab should face up?  Um, I think that's called an upper cut, bro.  Needless to say, I didn't return to his class, and I have yet to try other Turbo Kick instructors at that gym.  I did try a Turbo Kick class at the Irvine 24 Hour Fitness and really enjoyed it.  Can't remember the instructor's name, although I do remember him having chin-length hair and I'm pretty sure he fancies the dudes.  

At the Y, I am allowed as many guests as I want and each guest can come twice for FREE.  So let me know if you want to accompany me to any of my fantastic classes.  Here's my schedule, and it varies depending on my sub work:
Monday - Turbo Kick 10:30am (Corrine) or Boot Camp 6:00pm (Jenna)
Tuesday - Cardio Kick 8:00pm (Shari)
Wednesday - Cardio Kick 10:30am (Melissa) or Cardio Kick 7:00pm (Bridget)
Thursday - Zumba 8:30am (Trina) or 7:00pm (Corrine)  
Friday - Cardio Kick 10:30am (Leta) or Boot Camp 12:30pm (Jenna)

Hope to see you all breaking a sweat soon!