Food Network Shows

I love watching Food Network shows such as Ultimate Recipe Showdown, I find it fun watching other people cook and finding cool ideas for fun food. Whenever I watch these shows I always get hungry and want to make something really good, I think about the judges and how lucky they are being able to eat amazing food. Tonight I watched a burger showdown where four contestants competed for $25,000, all of their burgers sounded amazing. Its not exactly dinner time here but because of a pole dancing technique class I'm taking at the studio I work at I have eaten early. Burgers were on the menu tonight and I had even got a bun, mayo and cheese out and the chips sitting on the counter. I thought of how delicious all the burgers on the show were but then I thought of one key thing the bun, I decided not to use it. Being gluten free I had got English muffins to use as buns and I thought to myself why do buns make the burger? Shouldn't the burger make the burger? Going without the bun is a healthier option and I didn't want to cross that out with the use of mayo. I decided to put mozzarella cheese in 2 thin slices on my burger, then a nice sized mushroom and basil to add flavor. Top beautifully I decided this burger was complete and sitting atop my stool I proceeded to nicely cut and eat my masterpiece. Maybe not Ultimate Showdown judge worthy, but it was fun to make and great tasting. What have you done to make a typical recipe anything but, do you make it healthy or hearty?

Being myself, Being a Zumba instructor

Today I met with two amazing women, amazing is a strong word but trust me they fit it.
The owner and Co-owner of Boulder Spirals, originally called DollHouse Pole Studio, recently contacted me about teaching Zumba at their studio. First things that went through my mind, Pole dancing, Torie my best friend, and stereotypical. I wrote emails back and forth and decided to meet the two to talk about my potential job. Through the time it took me to meet them I thought about Torie and how she had taken pole dancing classes at this studio and told me it wasn't your usual (whatever usual is these days) pole dancing. I secondly thought about stereotypes and how I would look to these women.
Now to my experience! When we met I felt totally comfortable for multiple reasons:
1) They are not what you may think of pole dancers....I guess I've always thought of pole dancing as in a strip club. I saw these women and immediately saw strong Boulder women who are both incredible smart and fun.
2) From the moment we met they didn't act like I was just some 20 year old (multiple people and jobs have). They talked to me and asked me questions and let me answer and talk, and I knew that they asked similar questions to everyone. Age came up as it always does but I felt like i could belong, they made me feel that way.
3) I have always in some way or another wanted to be able to really set my mind to something big and reach it. These women wanted a studio and they have it. For me, their vision is inspiring and makes me feel good to be part of it.
4)The fourth reason I felt comfortable was because of the oppertunity to teach Zumba! Something that I've wanted to do to support myself  in my fitness goals but also others. Boulder Spirals and all it holds is giving me the opportunity to do something I love and be myself while doing it.
Zumba for me is so much more then just a fitness class, it has truly become who I am. Whether this part of who i am prospers to become a well know Zumba instructor with her own business or just a Zumba lover I can't tell, but right now I'm happy with where I am. And I am at Boulder Spirals!

Meeting your goals

Today I became ever closer to my goal of getting into the 130's weight wise. It has been a struggle and taken awhile but it feels great every day I am closer. Realizing goals is amazing no matter what they are! To sit back and think of all the blood, sweat, tears, hardships, nay-sayers, money, and set backs you have gone through only to realize...i made it! Then you have to re-set your goals to make yourself better and keep yourself hungry. These goals I speak of don't have to be big, hell a lot of mine aren't at first. Weight wise I set my goal at losing 2 pounds, then losing 5, eventually I get to the goal of getting down 20! When I set a small goal and reach it, it gives me more confidence to set a higher goal and when I reach that I can go even further. Though I can't lose sight of what is reasonable! Have you or anyone you know set goals and reached them? Tell me about it, success stories and others welcome :)

Tell Your Story

This Saturday I drove to my field research class with two women under 30, both are "overweight" in societies eyes. In my eyes their both active women who are enjoying life. While listening to these womens stories I decided to tell mine, I told of my weight gain and my weight loss and I explained my love of Zumba. I believe it is important to tell people your success stories in hope of them being able to find success as well. I watched these women throughout the day digging and sifting dirt and thought of my success and how it all started with me wanting to be able to do everyday things like dig.
If you have a success story, no matter how small, tell it. It could help someone in their life or just open their eyes to new opportunities.

What a week can do

It has been a week since my last post, a week full of school! Unfortunately I had to cancel my Saturday Zumba classes because I have started a very fun archaeology class. Now I am only teaching on Fridays though I also had to cancel a few of those classes because of school. It makes me mad to have to chose between school and working out, the important thing I always have to remember is that you can workout anywhere. Yesterday during my field class I opted for carrying the larger buckets up to the dig site and opted to shake the screen for sifting. Though these are little things I still felt my arms on the way home. My stomach is a center point for needed weight loss, I use to think that the only things that would help my stomach would be sit-ups, or push-ups, noticeable things that you had to do in a gym or at home. Now I know that just sucking in my stomach for periods at a time can strengthen those muscles, fast walking with a little bit of a twist can help as well and both of these things can be done at school in and between classes. Anything you want to work on but don't know how to do it unnoticeable?