Barre 3 Fit

Did you notice that I added a few new things to The Little Jogger today? My "about" page has a picture of me (and Al), and I have a "contact" AND a "wedding" page. Small changes, but good improvements. Yes? I also changed some of the info on my "about" page and added a little tidbit about how I never post all of the food I eat in a day. Ya know, the typical food blogging disclaimers. 

It's now time to announce my new shiny toy: I bought myself a laptop! It's actually an early birthday present, but doesn't it sound better when I say that I bought it myself?? I got a Toshiba Portege (and it did not cost as much as it says on the link). It's 13.3 inches, and it's so light. In comparison to Big Bertha, this little guy will be so easy to carry around. This also means that I can blog all the time. No excuses! 

I'm actually blogging on the big computer right now. I don't know what it is about me, but it takes me a while to start using a new gadget. Al, however, is the complete opposite. When he comes home with a new shiny thing, I have to give up being the center of his attention for a few days. It's very, very sad. 

Today

I woke up before six this morning, but then a miraculous thing happened. I went back to sleep until 7:45 am! I slept with my door open so that the dogs could wake me up if they needed me to let them outside first thing in the morning, but they never bothered me. 

I took care of them, drank some chocolate Almond Breeze (such a great alternative to chocolate milk), and then chatted to the boy across the Pacific for a little while until he went to sleep. I tell ya, this time difference is whack. It's crazy that he's going to bed as I'm getting up. 

I then changed into my exercise clothes. I swear, I never saw Aussie girls wearing sweat pants or shorts with writing on their bum. It has to be an American thing. I'm not surprised at all. I think somebody made these shorts for me when I was in college/uni. Well, I have a lot of Illini (University of Illinois) pride. I hope that you're thinking about the amazingness of my shorts and not the state of my bedroom. You see, I have a lot of clothes to unpack. 

I went to the basement to work out, followed by my furry companion Rigley. She actually spends most of her time in the basement now. It's not like we force her down there because we don't like her. She just loves it down there because it's cool and quiet. If we keep her upstairs, she barks and cries at  the basement door until somebody opens it for her. She used to hang out in my closet. I'm not joking. She still goes in there from time to time when it rains. She is a strange dog (but I love her). 

I turned on the TV, looking for a fun Exercise TV workout. I found "Barre 3 Fit" under the "total body" section. I've heard of barre fit classes before, and I know that it's a good workout. You're supposed to do it in a studio where there is a bar (like in ballet), but I was able to use a chair. You can do it if you have a waist-height chair in your home. I also used a mat and five-pound weights for the upper body section.

The workout was divided into four parts: lower body toning (using the chair for balance), upper body toning (with light weights), lower body toning on the mat and abdominals on the mat. I thought that the standing lower body toning was the most difficult. It involved a lot of plie squats (which I LOVE) and lunges, but I had to hold one position for a while...on my toes. It's one of those workouts where you can make it as challenging as you need it to be, and you can also modify based on your body and fitness. 

I think that the abs part could have been very challenging, but I knew a lot of the exercises from pilates. I was supposed to have a small squishy ball to support my back, but I didn't use one. I took pilates up to five days a week at one point, so I know very well when I am not supporting my back properly. If you are new to this, you should really use a ball or at least roll up a towel for support. 

I enjoyed the workout, and I think I'd enjoy barre fit classes overall. Like pilates, you can expect long and leaner results if you do it regularly. If you like pilates or even yoga, you will probably like this. I am no expert, though, since I only did one class! 

I made a late breakfast at 11 am. I wanted steel cut oats again, but I doubled the recipe since 1/4 cup of dry oats didn't seem like enough yesterday. 

I added berries again and a different Trader Joe's High Fiber cereal. This stuff is actually pretty good. 

It turned out that 1/2 cup of oats was way too much food. Gosh, I was full. 

I showered after eating and put on a clean pair of workout clothes. As soon as I get to the city this afternoon, I'm going to a kickboxing class with my friend Nicole. For the record, I hardly ever do two workouts in a day. It's not normal for me. Today is just a special day. 

I spent the rest of the morning/early afternoon changing things on the blog, ironing, cleaning up the kitchen and watering the plants in the backyard for my mom. 

This photo will be horrifying for my friends who frequented my home in the summer of 2005. We had just moved into the house, and it had a fancy schmancy hot tub. It had colorful lights and a waterfall. It was a therapeutic spa, so the jets were supposed to massage. It was a wonderful thing to have, and many of my friends (or people who pretended to be my friend) came over at night to use it. Unfortunately, we haven't used it in years. It broke again and again, and it just became too expensive to maintain. I am still bitter that it's gone, though! 

This is what our deck used to look like...

I really miss the rainbow waterfalls now....

Regardless of the sad departure of the hot tub, I still love our backyard. 

While doing chores/whatever, Cody was being so cute. He was cuddling with his toy, but he lifted his head every time that I tried to take a photo. 

I finally got one of him being super cute!

I also surprised Mickey while he was hanging out on the driveway. 

Well, it's time to pack! I'm going out with the girls for drinks tonight, and then I'm off to a cake fair tomorrow morning. Jealous?

I'll be back tomorrow with a recap.

Have a great weekend, friends!