My legs are dead.
My thighs are soooooooo sore.
It's all Wilton and Rachel's fault.
(Thanks guys)
Sleep time soon.
All the love,
Kristin
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
Shall We Go Adventuring?
I just got out of seeing Wes Anderson's new movie "Moonrise Kingdom." It's a charming, quirky, darkly comedic film, and like Wes Anderson's other movies; it's not for everyone. What strikes me most about this film are the two leads going out into the world to have an adventure. No fear about what is going to happen, but going out into the world to experience things on their own. Which left me thinking in the end, "Do kids have adventures anymore?"
The movie takes place in 1965, and I know a lot has changed since then. The world is not as safe as it used to be. Gosh, even myself growing up in the 80's would yell that I was going to the park, hop on my bike with a couple of my friends and go out riding until the streetlights turned on. Every summer day was an adventure. Are there parents who let there kids go wander the streets until dusk anymore? I don't know for sure.
We just closed Mulan Jr. (to many awesome full crowds at the South Broadway Cultural Center) another story about a girl who decides to no only defend her father, but to go on an adventure of her own. She's not sure what will happen in the end, but she knows that this is the decision she must make.
Am I suggesting that kids run away from home or join the army dressed in drag? Nah. I just wonder, do we sometimes protect them too much and perhaps steal those chances for deep personal growth that one can really only have on adventure?
I'm on an intense adventure right now. So intense that I've had to spend some time away from this blog to really think about how the last couple of weeks have impacted how I feel about things. I still don't have many answers, but enough cognitive thoughts to string some of them together. When this all started, this "fitness" journey I didn't know what was going to lie ahead, but I knew this was the decision I must make. I knew there would be scary physical things that I would have to do (like burpees!) but I wasn't prepared at that point for the litany of emotions I was going to be facing. The first few weeks there were just lots of tears as my body was releasing a lot of pent up emotions. And then... just two weeks ago... Wilton presented a mind over matter challenge called "The Hill."
The Hill isn't really a hill. It's a cement ditchbank that's right around the corner of eVOLV. If you've seen a ditchbank in ABQ, you know that they are pretty steep and if you've known me for the past 10 years, you know that I'm afraid of heights. I don't know if it's so much being afraid of heights, but more of a fear of falling and getting hurt. At any rate, Wilton told me he wanted me to go down the hill and then climb back up it. He knew that this was more of a mental challenge for me, but that he promised that nothing was going to happen to me. The first time we went down he stood in front and held my hands so I could use him for support. It took some coaxing, but I made it down and up in one piece. The second time he said he was there if I needed his help, but he wasn't going to hold on. My nerves were starting to get to me here. But knowing he was there for support was what kept me going. Right before the third trip Wilton tells me that this time he'll be in front of me, but he doesn't want me to touch him for support at all. And my mind goes into overdrive of all the things that are going to go wrong. We spend the next 15-20 minutes of me crying and him telling me I can do it and me telling him no freaking way and then him telling me he's going to have to call and cancel his next client if I don't do this soon. My feet felt like they were super glued to the top of that ditch. Just as I would go to step off and try my heart would pound and the tears would come up again.
And suddenly a weird calmness came over me... I'm not sure what it was.
In college I played a character named Popeye Jackson in a show called "The Miss Firecracker Contest." In the show I had to climb up an 8 foot "telephone" pole and then climb across a tent that was essentially built like a big hammock.
It's one of the scariest things I had ever done, but somehow, with the help of Popeye, I was able to get over that fear and climb that pole every night for about 2 weeks. Even after a rehearsal where the back batten dropped about 6 inches I was still able to climb that pole ever night.
I think I was able to summon her again that day on the hill. Popeye wasn't scared about climbing a circus tent. She wasn't really scared about what people thought of her either. In some schools of theatre we talk about how each of us have aspects of the characters we play within ourselves. Popeye was also shy and a little socially awkward. That's where I knew she and I had characteristics in common.
But I'm starting to understand more and more though that if she had that strength to not have fear to climb a pole and to be herself and I was able to convey those aspects of her, then I carry those characteristics myself.
So "Popeye" took over that day on the Hill and I was able to climb down (with the help of Wilton commanding each of my feet forward) and I made it to the bottom in one piece. Wilton says we'll be doing t again, and that makes me feel very anxious, but the other night I had a dream where I ran down a ditch bank and it just happened so fast that I know I'll be able to get there.
It's adventures like these where we are able to show our true character, to find out who we are and what we want out of our lives. I was always a very cautious child... and I wonder had I been more adventurous as a kid, would I be facing these same trials now? We'll never know for sure. I am thankful though to have such amazing support on this adventure though. Even though I was having a huge mental breakdown on the side of a ditch on a Friday morning in early June, I still had someone who was willing to catch me and I knew a group of people, who even though they didn't know that that was what I was doing at that exact moment, were rooting me on to go down that hill.
In conclusion, go on an adventure this summer either with someone you love or by yourself. It will always be worth it, no matter what the outcome.
All the love,
Kristin
The movie takes place in 1965, and I know a lot has changed since then. The world is not as safe as it used to be. Gosh, even myself growing up in the 80's would yell that I was going to the park, hop on my bike with a couple of my friends and go out riding until the streetlights turned on. Every summer day was an adventure. Are there parents who let there kids go wander the streets until dusk anymore? I don't know for sure.
We just closed Mulan Jr. (to many awesome full crowds at the South Broadway Cultural Center) another story about a girl who decides to no only defend her father, but to go on an adventure of her own. She's not sure what will happen in the end, but she knows that this is the decision she must make.
Am I suggesting that kids run away from home or join the army dressed in drag? Nah. I just wonder, do we sometimes protect them too much and perhaps steal those chances for deep personal growth that one can really only have on adventure?
I'm on an intense adventure right now. So intense that I've had to spend some time away from this blog to really think about how the last couple of weeks have impacted how I feel about things. I still don't have many answers, but enough cognitive thoughts to string some of them together. When this all started, this "fitness" journey I didn't know what was going to lie ahead, but I knew this was the decision I must make. I knew there would be scary physical things that I would have to do (like burpees!) but I wasn't prepared at that point for the litany of emotions I was going to be facing. The first few weeks there were just lots of tears as my body was releasing a lot of pent up emotions. And then... just two weeks ago... Wilton presented a mind over matter challenge called "The Hill."
The Hill isn't really a hill. It's a cement ditchbank that's right around the corner of eVOLV. If you've seen a ditchbank in ABQ, you know that they are pretty steep and if you've known me for the past 10 years, you know that I'm afraid of heights. I don't know if it's so much being afraid of heights, but more of a fear of falling and getting hurt. At any rate, Wilton told me he wanted me to go down the hill and then climb back up it. He knew that this was more of a mental challenge for me, but that he promised that nothing was going to happen to me. The first time we went down he stood in front and held my hands so I could use him for support. It took some coaxing, but I made it down and up in one piece. The second time he said he was there if I needed his help, but he wasn't going to hold on. My nerves were starting to get to me here. But knowing he was there for support was what kept me going. Right before the third trip Wilton tells me that this time he'll be in front of me, but he doesn't want me to touch him for support at all. And my mind goes into overdrive of all the things that are going to go wrong. We spend the next 15-20 minutes of me crying and him telling me I can do it and me telling him no freaking way and then him telling me he's going to have to call and cancel his next client if I don't do this soon. My feet felt like they were super glued to the top of that ditch. Just as I would go to step off and try my heart would pound and the tears would come up again.
And suddenly a weird calmness came over me... I'm not sure what it was.
In college I played a character named Popeye Jackson in a show called "The Miss Firecracker Contest." In the show I had to climb up an 8 foot "telephone" pole and then climb across a tent that was essentially built like a big hammock.
It's one of the scariest things I had ever done, but somehow, with the help of Popeye, I was able to get over that fear and climb that pole every night for about 2 weeks. Even after a rehearsal where the back batten dropped about 6 inches I was still able to climb that pole ever night.
I think I was able to summon her again that day on the hill. Popeye wasn't scared about climbing a circus tent. She wasn't really scared about what people thought of her either. In some schools of theatre we talk about how each of us have aspects of the characters we play within ourselves. Popeye was also shy and a little socially awkward. That's where I knew she and I had characteristics in common.
But I'm starting to understand more and more though that if she had that strength to not have fear to climb a pole and to be herself and I was able to convey those aspects of her, then I carry those characteristics myself.
So "Popeye" took over that day on the Hill and I was able to climb down (with the help of Wilton commanding each of my feet forward) and I made it to the bottom in one piece. Wilton says we'll be doing t again, and that makes me feel very anxious, but the other night I had a dream where I ran down a ditch bank and it just happened so fast that I know I'll be able to get there.
It's adventures like these where we are able to show our true character, to find out who we are and what we want out of our lives. I was always a very cautious child... and I wonder had I been more adventurous as a kid, would I be facing these same trials now? We'll never know for sure. I am thankful though to have such amazing support on this adventure though. Even though I was having a huge mental breakdown on the side of a ditch on a Friday morning in early June, I still had someone who was willing to catch me and I knew a group of people, who even though they didn't know that that was what I was doing at that exact moment, were rooting me on to go down that hill.
In conclusion, go on an adventure this summer either with someone you love or by yourself. It will always be worth it, no matter what the outcome.
All the love,
Kristin
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
All in the Timing
Well, my 31st birthday has come and gone and along with it there are some amazing milestones.
When we started this whole journey, I was over 50% body fat. The little machine Jenny had to check my body fat percentage couldn't even read it I had so much body fat. Then in April when we checked again I was down to 43%... I think. Then, on my birthday Wilton checked on my percentage again. This time with calipers. Dang, those things hurt. I'm now proud to say that I'm at 38% body fat. That's a lot to have lost in 6 months.
That's right, we are at the halfway point. Argh! Six months to go.
I cooked my food for this week, what felt like the first time in months... which is probably true. I have to make that shopping and cooking a priority. It's super important and not knowing what I'm going to eat is causing me stress, which is also keeping the weight on.
With Rachel on Monday, I completed a total of 250 kettlebell reps. My shoulders are so sore now. Also I have a couple of bruises from them bumping in to me because I wasn't controlling them enough. Visualizing how to make all of that better.
Today in PAINE Wilton gave us a fitness challenge. I know the numbers are for us, but I think it's important to share them with you. We had ten activities and a minute to do each of them and see how many we could complete in a minute. We had a minute rest in between each set. After we completed all ten activities Wilton told us that he was going to mentally challenge us. We were going to do the 10 activities again, but this time we had to try to beat our previous number. I was so tired after having done the first set, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do the second, but I did! And on most of the activities I matched or beat my original number. Here they are.
1. Burpees (which I hate!) 8 first round 6 second round
2. Push ups 15 first round 20 second round
3. Jump Squats 22 29
4. Sit Ups 17 24
5. Power Jacks 19 22
6. Dips 14 18
7. Pop Ups 24 27
8. High-Low Planks 9 11
9. Jump Lunges 24 24
10. Plank Jumps 10 13
I should mention that I did everything at level one, so those of you going out there to try these exercises can find your level and try it yourself.
I have to say that I'm pretty proud of myself for what I've accomplished in the last couple of days. I even cried a little today at the end of class.
I think 31 is going to be a good year. I definitely feel like I'm in the right place at the right time.
All the love,
Kristin
When we started this whole journey, I was over 50% body fat. The little machine Jenny had to check my body fat percentage couldn't even read it I had so much body fat. Then in April when we checked again I was down to 43%... I think. Then, on my birthday Wilton checked on my percentage again. This time with calipers. Dang, those things hurt. I'm now proud to say that I'm at 38% body fat. That's a lot to have lost in 6 months.
That's right, we are at the halfway point. Argh! Six months to go.
I cooked my food for this week, what felt like the first time in months... which is probably true. I have to make that shopping and cooking a priority. It's super important and not knowing what I'm going to eat is causing me stress, which is also keeping the weight on.
With Rachel on Monday, I completed a total of 250 kettlebell reps. My shoulders are so sore now. Also I have a couple of bruises from them bumping in to me because I wasn't controlling them enough. Visualizing how to make all of that better.
Today in PAINE Wilton gave us a fitness challenge. I know the numbers are for us, but I think it's important to share them with you. We had ten activities and a minute to do each of them and see how many we could complete in a minute. We had a minute rest in between each set. After we completed all ten activities Wilton told us that he was going to mentally challenge us. We were going to do the 10 activities again, but this time we had to try to beat our previous number. I was so tired after having done the first set, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do the second, but I did! And on most of the activities I matched or beat my original number. Here they are.
1. Burpees (which I hate!) 8 first round 6 second round
2. Push ups 15 first round 20 second round
3. Jump Squats 22 29
4. Sit Ups 17 24
5. Power Jacks 19 22
6. Dips 14 18
7. Pop Ups 24 27
8. High-Low Planks 9 11
9. Jump Lunges 24 24
10. Plank Jumps 10 13
I should mention that I did everything at level one, so those of you going out there to try these exercises can find your level and try it yourself.
I have to say that I'm pretty proud of myself for what I've accomplished in the last couple of days. I even cried a little today at the end of class.
I think 31 is going to be a good year. I definitely feel like I'm in the right place at the right time.
All the love,
Kristin
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
I'll Be There For You
In the past few years I've been holding my cards close to my chest.
I've made friends, but very few of them are close. I still consider those friends from high school and college (who I rarely see or talk to) my closest or best friends.
I had gotten to a point where I was sick of telling those stories about myself. Those sad, embarrassing stories about yourself that you tell when you're getting to know someone, that intimacy you have to share with people as you get to know one another so you know that you can trust each other with your feelings and your deep dark secrets.
Recently though, and especially with the amazing people I've been meeting at eVOLV, I've been feeling myself wanting to get to know these people more; and I know with that comes sharing those stories. And I think for the first time in a long time I'm starting to feel ready to share those stories again. They are such a far away part of my past that it doesn't feel so close or sad or embarrassing anymore.
It's time to lay the cards on the table and show the world my hand.
So in the next few days, months, and years if you feel that I'm oversharing; know that you're someone I'm trusting my stories to.
In the fitness world, gym was good today. Body Combat went well and Zumba was fun as always. Looking forward to Body Pump tomorrow.
All the love,
Kristin
I've made friends, but very few of them are close. I still consider those friends from high school and college (who I rarely see or talk to) my closest or best friends.
I had gotten to a point where I was sick of telling those stories about myself. Those sad, embarrassing stories about yourself that you tell when you're getting to know someone, that intimacy you have to share with people as you get to know one another so you know that you can trust each other with your feelings and your deep dark secrets.
Recently though, and especially with the amazing people I've been meeting at eVOLV, I've been feeling myself wanting to get to know these people more; and I know with that comes sharing those stories. And I think for the first time in a long time I'm starting to feel ready to share those stories again. They are such a far away part of my past that it doesn't feel so close or sad or embarrassing anymore.
It's time to lay the cards on the table and show the world my hand.
So in the next few days, months, and years if you feel that I'm oversharing; know that you're someone I'm trusting my stories to.
In the fitness world, gym was good today. Body Combat went well and Zumba was fun as always. Looking forward to Body Pump tomorrow.
All the love,
Kristin
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Thoughts
Lots of things have been happening, and I've been trying to go to sleep at night rather than spend hours on the computer trying to write my blog and staring at Facebook instead, but I haven't written in a long time, so a blog for you lovely readers and cheerleaders.
1. I have ankles again!
2. My legs are muscle-y.
3. I wore dresses 2 days this past weekend and didn't feel uncomfortable. (I did wear some short leggings underneath though!)
4. I had a moment of clarity in PAINE last week where I remembered that when I started this whole process I couldn't even do a mountain climber or a plank. It was almost impossible to lift my hips off the ground, I was so heavy. Now, they are still hard to do, but I can do them! Still working on form, but that will get there.
5. I have muscles in my arms!
6. Zumba is super fun, but AWESOMELY fun when Erin and Jennifer are in class.
7. I'm looking forward to Jennifer's NIA class in July!
8. We got asked to be on the After After Party with Steven Michael Quezada to talk about The Box and filmed it tonight. Some of the members of The Show got to do improv on there too. I'll let you guys know when it airs!
9. I finished writing the first scene of my play last week. It feels a little heavy handed, but it's a first draft and will hopefully get better.
10. I haven't lost any weight in about a month. I know a lot of it is because I haven't really been eating right, but I also have still been seeing changes in my body, so I'm hoping that some of that is because I've been rocking some serious muscle!
11. Phase 3 of the workout regime will begin soon. I should be getting my schedule from Wilton tomorrow.
12. I interviewed for a job today. It was short, but I felt it went well. I should hear something by the end of the week.
13. I'm getting a haircut tomorrow!
14. The 6th Annual Duke City Improv Festival is this weekend! You all should come. Seriously.
15. It's my 31st Birthday on Friday! Also another reason why you should come to the improv festival and wish me a Happy Birthday.
I guess that's all for now.
All the love,
Kristin
1. I have ankles again!
2. My legs are muscle-y.
3. I wore dresses 2 days this past weekend and didn't feel uncomfortable. (I did wear some short leggings underneath though!)
4. I had a moment of clarity in PAINE last week where I remembered that when I started this whole process I couldn't even do a mountain climber or a plank. It was almost impossible to lift my hips off the ground, I was so heavy. Now, they are still hard to do, but I can do them! Still working on form, but that will get there.
5. I have muscles in my arms!
6. Zumba is super fun, but AWESOMELY fun when Erin and Jennifer are in class.
7. I'm looking forward to Jennifer's NIA class in July!
8. We got asked to be on the After After Party with Steven Michael Quezada to talk about The Box and filmed it tonight. Some of the members of The Show got to do improv on there too. I'll let you guys know when it airs!
9. I finished writing the first scene of my play last week. It feels a little heavy handed, but it's a first draft and will hopefully get better.
10. I haven't lost any weight in about a month. I know a lot of it is because I haven't really been eating right, but I also have still been seeing changes in my body, so I'm hoping that some of that is because I've been rocking some serious muscle!
11. Phase 3 of the workout regime will begin soon. I should be getting my schedule from Wilton tomorrow.
12. I interviewed for a job today. It was short, but I felt it went well. I should hear something by the end of the week.
13. I'm getting a haircut tomorrow!
14. The 6th Annual Duke City Improv Festival is this weekend! You all should come. Seriously.
15. It's my 31st Birthday on Friday! Also another reason why you should come to the improv festival and wish me a Happy Birthday.
I guess that's all for now.
All the love,
Kristin
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