HIGHS & LOWS..

That's what Day 2 of the Fitness and Health Bloggers Conference was like for me.

I started on a very HIGH note with a Kangoo class courtesy of Wendy at Body Dynamics in Boulder. Never heard of Kangoo?? I hadn’t either. Then I watched this video… and I thought, “What the h%*l is that?” followed closely by, “It could be fun…” and since the Conference was offering the class for free I then thought, “Why not?”

Here I am in my Kangoo Jumps (The pic is a little blurry, because it is almost impossible to stand still on those things):

Pretty H-O-T right?

I can honestly say that it was the most fun I have ever had in an exercise class! I am seriously considering buying a pair, although I am not sure if it would have the same affect if it were just me in my living room & would probably freak out my cat...

In a group we all looked crazy together, so in turn no one looked crazy. Plus you can’t help but feed off the smiles of the other jumpers around you. I dare you to try this without smiling the whole time… and if you can do it, you better send me a video, because I don’t believe you! Check the video Anne of fANNEtastic food made here. I am in the back corner and mostly hidden, but I assure you I am there...

In addition to the joy and fun factor, there’s the health and fitness factor (oh yeah, I forgot… we were exercising too). Since the shoes are on springs, there is no impact or stress on the joints, so people with injuries or a few extra pounds to carry can get an amazing cardiovascular workout without the stress on the body. It allows for more dynamic movement than may not otherwise be possible and burns more calories- 25% more to be exact! Kangoo also helps to improve balance and coordination. I’m definitely going to get to some Kangoo in NYC! Apparently this is the guy to see.

So riding my Kangoo High I got showered and changed at Body Dynamics before the first seminar, which I was really looking forward to. Since I was staying with my family who lives nearby, I had taken the car to the conference (Kangoo was at 7am and no one seemed to keen on dropping me off at that hour & I don’t blame them). I went to drop some stuff in the trunk that I didn’t want to lug around all day before I headed out in search of coffee in breakfast. I had budgeted my time perfectly and had 30 min to find them. That’s when it happened… One simple thought changed my state from highest high to lowest low. It went something like this:

“I don’t need to take my whole bad and computer to go find coffee. I’ll just leave it in the car.” With the keys in it… Yup.

In the slam of a Honda trunk I was suddenly plunged into the depths of helplessness, AKA locking the keys in the car. So, naturally, the first thing I did was call my dad to come to my rescue… and naturally he said he'd be right there. He’s good like that. I would like to point out that I did NOT cry… which if you know me well is pretty huge. I tend to freak out over things like this that throw a wrench in my life. I calmly asked the front desk at the hotel for the number of a locksmith, called and explained my troubles. Then, I went to the Hotel Starbucks and got some Coffee and Granola (remember I had Kangoo’d earlier and still hadn’t eaten) and had breakfast with myself on the trunk of the car and waited for Isaac the locksmith.

Breakfast of people who lock themselves out of their car.

Long story only slightly shorter, he came and saved the day!

He was pretty easy on the eyes too, which didn’t hurt. He was also very understanding when I told him that it was necessary for me to document this as I was attending a bloggers conference. (wink)

Even better, I was only about 15 minutes late for the session and still got to hear Toni speak... plus I had a good story!

The “low” was very temporary, which is a good thing to keep in mind, I suppose.

*In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that my dad did pay for my blunder, so here is my very public THANK YOU, DADDY!

**In other news, I have decided to become a locksmith, because that is apparently where the money is.

Have you ever had a roller coaster day like this??

IN HONOR OF VALENTINES DAY...

I have compiled a list of 14 things I am loving right now, in no particular order (except for maybe #1).

Being Married to Jay

This really goes without saying, but I wake up every day feeling so lucky to have found my soul mate, and to get to spend the rest of my life with him.

Charlie

He is a crazy, freestyle jumping, booger-faced, snuggle bug, lick monster... and I couldn't love him more!

These Babies

**Just in case you were wondering, the sonogram is not mine, and seeing how it is not my news I shall keep the identity of the belly anonymous. :)

Pilates on 5th

I am "back in school" at Pilates Academy International doing some continuing education and certifications. I have had the opportunity to work with some truly amazing instructors and am feeling very inspired. I am definitely not too cool for school!

My "Girls"

In my opinion, every girl needs girls. I am so fortunate to have some amazing ones in my life: my Mama, sisters, friends I have known for years, and now new friends (who I am super excited about turning into "friends I have known for years"). Here's to you, ladies... Thanks for being there!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate

This is miracle stuff! Try it and you will thank me.

Modern Family & Parenthood

Maybe I love these shows so much because they both remind me of my own family- who I miss like crazy- quirky and fun with a whole lotta HEART.

Joel Gott Red Zinfandel

Yum.

Eataly

AKA: Heaven. I can't get all the way into it, because you will be here reading for hours. What I will say is this: Go to Manzo, sit at the bar and have the Beef Carpaccio and the Pappardelle. When you are finished, grab a glass of wine for the road (BECAUSE YOU CAN!) and walk around shopping for pasta, olive oil, kitchen gadgets, etc. as you sip. Like I said... Heaven.

No-bake Cookies

**Note: not my cookies, but similar looking

I have seriously become obsessed lately. I have made batch after batch trying to perfect the recipe, and I do believe I have done it! The beauty is, there is no added sugar- obviously there are ingredients that already have sugar in them.
Makes a small batch of 8-10 cookies:
3 heaping tablespoons of creamy peanut butter 3 tablespoons of milk
(I used soy milk)
3 BLUE Lindt Truffle Balls (I know this sounds nuts and a little OCD. You can obviously just use chocolate chips, but we found them to be too bitter and strong for our taste...Trust me on this)
1/4 C oatmeal
1/4 C coconut flakes
Heat Peanut Butter, Chocolate and milk in a saucepan until the chocolate is fully melted. Stir in oats and coconut and then remove from heat. Use a tablespoon to form into balls and place on a plate. Cool in fridge for at least 15 min. Enjoy!

My All-clad Pan

All pans are NOT created equal. Jay bought this beauty for me for Christmas and it was love at first sight! I still can't bare to put it away, so it sits out on the stove top to be admired. This is my favorite recipe to make in it right now. Get your own here.

Mumford and Sons

I dare you to listen to Little Lion Man and not love this band. Their performance on last night's Grammy Awards was amazing and totally confirmed my love for them, and made me really want to see them live!

Callen Lorde

This amazing clinic in NYC saved my life! Well, my teeth anyway... and my wallet for that matter. If you live in NYC and don' t have dental insurance, this is your place. They give treatment on a sliding scale based on your income, so what was going to cost me $9,000.00 at a Madison Ave Dentist, cost me under $1,000.00 at Callen Lorde AND I loved my dentist! So stop putting off that cleaning you know you are overdue for...

Colorado

It's where I grew up and where my family is. I love NY, but I am very proud of my Colorado roots. Seriously, just look at it. If you haven't been... GO!

And of course, YOU for reading my blog! Happy Valentines Day!

LIVING OUTSIDE THE ZONE...

The comfort zone that is.
I've been wanting to write a 2011 goals post since January 1st, but wasn't quite sure how I wanted to do it- or what I even wanted to say.
A lot happened in this Lean Body Life between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011. I quit a job that wasn't making me happy (but afforded me many of life's pleasures), embarked on a new full time career, & decided to go "back to school" and get my apparatus training. All of these things scare the s#@* out of me, but I am doing them... and they are BIG, so why on earth shouldn't I do the SMALL things that scare the s#@* out of me too? This year I am going to do things that make me uncomfortable. Nothing crazy or dangerous (like skydiving: still not happening), but stuff I would ordinarily shy away from.
For instance, I don't ride bikes.


I am terrified of them. I even had to ride a child's bike in a show once, and it was a full day event to get me even semi-comfortable on it. I did it, but I was a mess, and had a minor panic attack every show. You see, when I was a kid, I was always in
dance or theater classes. I hardly had time to ride bikes around the neighborhood like normal children. Then, the older I got, the farther I had to fall, which didn't appeal to me in the slightest.
So here I am, almost 30 and afraid to ride a bike... not good. Thus, I have decided that this year I, Jenn Seracuse, will ride a bike- more than once- fearlessly! Obviously I have to wait until this frozen tundra I am living in warms up.

**Shameless inclusion of cute husband and cat in snow**

So for now... I took a spin class. Those of you who know me well, know that this is CRAZY! The last (and only) time I took a spin class was in high school- when I was most certainly NOT focused on physical fitness- and I vowed NEVER AGAIN!
Clearly, even stationary bikes are out of my comfort zone, so when my new friend Lindsay (who you will be hearing much more about soon) extended the invitation to take the class at Flywheel Sports, my first instinct was to politely decline. Then it hit me... I am not at all who I was when I first tried spinning. It would be silly of me to have the same feeling about it without seeing what THIS Jenn thought, so I accepted.
Was it scary? YES. Was it hard? YOU BET. Did I die? NO!
In fact, I surprised myself. I was working, sweating, jamming to the music and loving it! I pushed to keep up with the RPM guidelines, and most importantly, DIDN'T QUIT. I felt strong and powerful, not to mention euphoric- endorphins are powerful things. I even took away some valuable life lessons from the instructor, Holly (who was great!):


"Figure out where you want to be, and then do what you need to do to get there."

She was talking about RPMS, but it also applies to life. It's important to have a goal and then you can move forward and do what it takes to achieve that goal. It may be hard and you may want to quit, but if there is one thing I have learned in life- and in spin class- once you lose momentum or even stop, it's a lot harder to get going again.

"Leave whatever you don't need- whatever is weighing you down- behind, and just GO."

Again, a great life lesson. The past is the past. Hanging on to past failures, or even past successes, too tightly takes a lot of energy. Energy which could be put toward moving forward.
A great workout and some inspiration? Yes please!

So... I have conquered my fear of indoor cycling, bringing me one step closer to riding an actual moving bicycle. I heard that Punxsutawney Phil Says Spring Will Come Early this year. I better get back to spin class- not for a few days though, as my butt is very sore- and get ready! Rest assured I will keep you posted on my progress.

How about you? How will you live "Outside the Zone" this year??

MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE...

Ok, now that I have that, may I have your UNDIVIDED attention please?
I don't know about you, but the latter is a difficult thing for me... For most of my life I have been a chronic multitasker. It's not uncommon for me to be on my laptop, with the TV on, taking on the phone and playing fetch with my cat, Charlie (yes, I have a cat who plays fetch, he rocks). Often times, I feel a little something like this...


Now, I know it is much more effective to do one thing at a time and do it 100%, believe me I do. After all, if I am doing 3 things at once and giving each thing about 30% of my attention, I can't expect to get much more than 30% out of them. I think this mug (which I need to have) says it perfectly:
So what is a girl, who has to do 10 things at a time, to do???
PILATES! That's what.
I know you're probably thinking, "Wait, what? How did we get here?" but just hear me out...
The whole philosophy behind Pilates, is bringing the Mind and Body together, thus the only thing the mind can be focused on during a successful Pilates session is the body.
One thing at 100%- Are you with me now? Good.

There are Six Principles of the Pilates Method:

1) Breath- Properly connecting breath to the movement, which enhances circulation and helps remove toxins from the body
2) Centering- Initiating movements from the core or "powerhouse," and using these muscles to control the rest of the body
3) Control- controling of every aspect of every movement, so you are "in control of the body, rather than at the mercy of it." (I absolutely LOVE this quote by JP)
4) Fluidity- Flowing seamlessly from one exercise to the next, creating a dynamic series of movements and building strength and stamina
5) Concentration- Connecting the mind to the body, and knowing exactly where it is in space and what it is doing.
6) Precision- Proper form is essential to ensure you gain the most benefit.

As you can see, there's really no room to think about anything else, for it to be effective... And I don't know about you, but when I step into a session (or workout of any kind) I want nothing less than 100% of the benefits. Now, I am using what I know about Pilates and working to bring that kind of attention and focus into my everyday life tasks... I can honestly say I have gotten better! So, if you are like me, do yourself a favor, and try engaging in something that it is impossible to turn into a multitask. You will start to find it easier to give your UNDIVIDED attention, and also very rewarding.

image 1: mindcafe.org
image 2: buzzaboutscience.com

MY APOLOGIES...

I've been a bad bad blogger. Hopefully, when you see my newest Life Essential- and the reason I have been so absent lately- you will forgive me...

Ladies and Gentlemen, LEAN BODY LIFE ESSENTIAL #8:

Charlie Bird Alouicious Sullivan

This little 3 month old Silver Bengal kitten has brought so much joy into our lives! My husband and I have only had him for a week, and I already can't imagine life without him! They say pet owners live longer, and I can feel the years adding on. In fact, there are many health benefits to pet ownership- they can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, encourage exercise, fight depression, etc. Check out this article for more. Those of you who have animals know what I am talking about, and for those of you that don't... I strongly encourage it!